NEW DELHI, July 22: US-based power major Babcock and Wilcox, part of the $3.3-billion McDermott International, has approached the power ministry with a proposal to undertake the modernisation of the Indraprastha power station, currently under the control of Delhi Vidyut Board.

B&W president (power generation group) James F Wood met minister of state for power YK Alagh recently to discuss the technologies they can offer in improving the efficiency of the IP power station and other public sector stations.

Alagh said the IP power station is facing problems in running its units due to the low quality of coal supply. The current coal supplies to power station are of E, F and at times even G grade quality which is full of ash content, stones and debris.

B&W has offered the technology for efficient running of power plants even with poor qualities of coal, he added.

The US multinational has also offered power equipment technologies for multi-fuel utilities and re-powering of existing power plants. The ministry is evaluating the proposal and has asked for details, the minister added.

During the discussions, B&W mentioned the technology it can offer for increasing the efficiency of boilers used in IP power station and other public sector power projects, many of which are performing below 50 per cent efficiency. B&W claims that their efficiency can be raised up to 80 per cent. Senior DVB officials said that currently mega boilers used in the 300-mw capacity IP power station have outlived their life and are badly damaged due to the extremely bad coal supplies, as a result of which there is breakdown in units every third year.

According to Alagh, his ministry has accorded top priority to improve the efficiency of old power stations by undertaking renovation and modernisation of these plants. On the funding of such projects, he said the modernisation plan-related activities will be chiefly funded by the Power Finance Corporation. "The finance ministry has already allotted Rs 900 crore in this regard, out of which PFC has been given Rs 200 crore and the balance Rs 700 crore has been kept aside for hydel projects," he added.

B&W, along with its Indian partner Thermax Ltd, is already carrying out trial technology runs for improving the efficiency of power plants at the R&D base of Thermax Babcock Wilcox in Pune. They are undertaking `Orimulsion' process trials, by which they can turn bad coal into slurry. B&W is, at present, engaged in setting up facilities for the Jamnagar refinery of Reliance and circulating fluidised bed boilers for Bharat Starch and Arvind Mills in Narora.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.