In its attempt to overcome the huge power shortage in the country, the Union Government in a recent decision has cleared a bulk order for power equipment worth Rs. 40,000 crore for the upcoming thermal power plants of NTPC and Damodar Valley Corporation in the country.

The Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy in a statement said that the cabinet committee on infrastructure approved the proposals for induction of supercritical technology through bulk order for 11 units of 660 mw each by NTPC and DVC. Following this clearance, the power generator NTPC would invite international competitive bids for boilers and steam turbine generators within 45 days.

The important condition of this approval is the development of phased indigenous manufacturing and induction of the new supercritical equipment technology in the country. There is a necessary pre-condition of domestic manufacturing base in order to bid for the bulk order for boiler and turbine generators. Among the 11 units, three are for NTPC joint venture with the Bihar State Electricity Board for a super-thermal power plant at Nabi Nagar area of the state.

According to available reports, the prospective bidders for the bid include L&T, BHEL-Alstom, Mitsubishi and GB Engineering for boilers and BHEL-Siemens, L&T-Mitsubishi, Bharat Forge-Alstom and Toshiba-JSW for steam turbine generators. The equipment will be used for NTPC Mounda and Solapur projects, its joint venture projects in Nabi Nagar in Bihar and in Meja in Uttar Pradesh and also in the Damodar Valley Corporation Kodarma project in Jharkhand, he added.