BHEL commissions two hydropower generating units in Arunachal Pradesh

New Delhi: State-run heavy electric equipment manufacturer Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) on Monday said that it has successfully commissioned two units of 4×150 MW Kameng Hydroelectric Project (HEP) in Arunachal Pradesh. Notably, this is the largest unit rating (150 MW) for hydropower generating sets in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Being developed by North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO), the greenfield Hydro project is located in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. Kameng HEP is a run-of-the-river scheme which will utilize the flow from Bichom and Tenga rivers.

Significantly, the Francis Turbine commissioned in the project is designed to operate at the rated head of 501 meters, making it the highest head Francis Type Hydro Turbine in the country. On commissioning of all four units, the project will be able to generate 3,353 Million Units (MU) of clean electricity annually.

BHEL's scope of work

BHEL's scope in the project comprises design, manufacture, supply, installation and commissioning of four 150 MW Vertical Francis Turbines & matching Synchronous Generators, Transformers, Control & Monitoring (SCADA) System along with associated auxiliaries. The equipment has been supplied by BHEL's manufacturing units at Bhopal, Jhansi, Rudrapur, and Bengaluru, while erection and commissioning on-site was carried out by the company's Power Sector – Eastern Region division, Kolkata.

BHEL has made a significant contribution to the hydro sector of Arunachal Pradesh and has commissioned 710 MW of hydropower projects in the state so far, accounting for around 84% of the total installed capacity in the state.

Other projects being developed by BHEL

BHEL is presently executing hydroelectric projects of 5.8 GW, which includes 2.6 GW of projects within the country and 3.2 GW abroad. In addition, BHEL is also carrying out comprehensive renovation and modernization of more than 699 MW hydro projects across the country. Significantly, more than 500 hydroelectric generating sets of various ratings have been ordered on BHEL with a cumulative capacity of more than 30 GW, including 6.7 GW for overseas projects. BHEL's hydro plants are successfully performing in India and across the world, including countries such as Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Rwanda, Thailand, New Zealand, Nepal and Vietnam.