Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has successfully commissioned a fifth 68MW hydro generating unit at the Rampur hydroelectric project in Himachal Pradesh, with the final unit expected to be commissioned shortly.
Being developed by SJVN Limited, the 412MW Rampur project is located on the River Satluj, a major tributary of the Indus Basin. BHEL’s scope of work in the project includes supply, erection and commissioning of 6 x 68MW Francis turbines operating at a head of 119m with matching synchronous generators of 200 rpm, static excitation system, main inlet valves, digital governors, state-of-the-art control & monitoring system (SCADA), associated station auxiliaries, Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) and electrical & mechanical Balance of Plant (BoP).
The earlier four units at Rampur HEP were commissioned between March 2014 and June 2014. All the four have since been put into commercial operation. The sixth and last unit is in an advanced stage of execution.
BHEL has a long standing association with SJVN Limited commencing with their first hydro generating plant – 1500MW Nathpa Jhakri – which was commissioned in 2003-04.
Notably, nine hydro sets totalling 641MW were commissioned by BHEL in the year 2013-14. Fiscal 2014-15 is also progressing on a promising note for hydro projects, with the commissioning of a 130MW set at Parbati in May 2014 and two units at Rampur. BHEL is presently executing hydropower projects of around 5000MW which are under various stages of implementation.
