BHEL to begin renewable energy generating equipment production soon

Mr O.P. Bhutani, Director, R&D (Engineering), BHEL, told presspersons: “We will enter into manufacturing of renewable energy generating equipment in a big way and will go in for a joint venture with Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), Bangalore, to install a manufacturing facility at a capacity of 250 MW for the production of solar photo voltaic cells.’’

Already a memorandum of understanding has been inked with BEL and it has developed a prototype model at a capacity of 8 MW. Soon, the joint venture agreement would be signed and it will be at an investment of Rs 3,000-4,000 crore on a 50-50 ratio.

Though the location of the factory is yet to be finalised, it is expected that it would be commissioned within two years, Mr Bhutani said.

BHEL is also contemplating installing a manufacturing facility at its unit here to produce solar thermal power generation systems.

“For this purpose, a collaborative pact has been signed with Abengoa, a Spanish company specialising in this product. This will require only an incremental investment at Tiruchi complex since already the Tiruchi unit of BHEL is manufacturing thermal gensets and heat exchangers”, Mr Bhutani said.

BHEL has already come out with a commercial model, an upgraded version of integrated gasification combined cycle plant with a capacity of 180 MW.

“This process is the conversion of coal into gas and thereafter generating steam by virtue of burning the gas and thereby the quantum of emission is reduced to an optimum level”, he said.

ref:
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/article1492199.ece