BHEL is the sole contender for two other projects, in which NTPC plans to raise the capacity of the power plants by 650 mw each at Anta in Rajasthan and Auariya in Uttar Pradesh, top corporation officials said.

All the projects, including Kawas and Gandhar expansion projects, would be based on gas with a generation capacity of 650 mw each, they said adding the main plant package contract for the four power stations would be to the tune of Rs 1,500 crore each.

NTPC officials, however, ruled out the possibility of going for a re-tendering for the Anta and Auariya projects for failing to attract more than one bidder.

The main plant package contract for the four projects is likely to be awarded in next two months period, the sources said.

BHEL had tied upwith German multinational Siemens to bid for the four projects, the sources said. The contractor would have to build the steam turbines, gas turbines and boilers for the projects, the officials said.NTPC is planning to commission these four projects by the end of the Ninth Plan period, they added.

The officials said that the four projects would require about 2.6 million metric cubic meters per day (mmcmd) of gas which is planning to be sourced from British Gas and Petronet LNG.

NTPC board has already cleared the proposal of the power utility picking up 25 per cent and 16.63 per cent stake in British Gas and Petronet LNG respectively to meet the fuel requirements of the future gas-based power projects including these four, the sources said.

The corporation which already has its first phase of 650 mw each power plants at Anta, Auariya, Kawas and Gandhar is sourcing its gas from Gas Authority of India Ltd's Hazira-Bijapur-Jagdishpur (HBJ) pipeline.The main plant package contractors for the first phase ofAnta and Gandhar was ABB while Kawas and Auariya had GEC Alstom and Mitsubishi, sources said.