Bhel, which has recently diversified into the aviation sector by manufacturing a two-seater trainer aircraft, SWATI, is also planning to manufacture unmanned airborne vehicle (UAV) at its Hardwar unit. The proposal is under the active consideration of the company and will be done jointly with a foreign company. In the area of port handling, Bhel, Hardwar has already tied up with Morris Mechanical Handling of UK to jointly execute container handling projects and has made a Rs 20-crore offer to the Mumbai port trust for supplying three rubber tyred gantry cranes for handling containers at the Mumbaiport.

The joint venture company is now exploring other projects to expand its areas of operations in the port handling facilities and is currently looking at Kandla port in this respect. Huge potential exists in this sector as can be seen from the fact that 40 new port projects worth Rs 6,600 crore adding 110 million tonnes are expected in the Ninth Plan.

Speaking to The Financial Express, the executive director, Bhel, Hardwar, H W Bhatnagar said that the Hardwar unit soon plans to add at least another Rs 250 crore annually towards the total turnover of BHEL by diversifying into these related areas of work. "We are also gearing up to manufacture balance of plant items for hydro power plants like hydromechanicals and have offered the same for the Tehri hydro project and for Kurichur hydro plant. Heavy castings, forgings and associated machining items like propeller, shafting system, rudder stock, pintels for ships, is yet another area where Bhel is deeply interested and this proposal is under activeconsideration", added Bhatnagar.

The Hardwar unit of Bhel which has customers like Tata Electric Co, Jindal, Reliance, BSES, NTPC, Siemens, NHPC and various SEBs is now in the process of expanding its customer profile and is in the process of procuring orders from companies like the Essar group, L&T Power, Seargent and Lundy, Nagarjun group, Raytheon, Bectel, Grasim group and Gujarat Torrent by supplying the generator, turbine sets and other hi-tech equipment.

The turbine and generator sets manufactured by BHEL, Hardwar are operating at over 70 per cent plant load factor (PLF) as against the all India PLF of 64.8 per cent. This unit of Bhel currently has orders of over Rs 160 crore in hand.

The company is also in the process of finalising its modernisation plan which is being pegged at around Rs 400 crore. Bhatnagar said these figures have not been finalised as yet and are subject to the board approval. The advancements to be carried out would involve advancements in its existing facilities, setting upof new blade shop for AC/DC motors along with other technical improvements in association with Siemens AG, Germany.

The new turbine blade shop alone is expected to come with an investment of over Rs 70 crore as it will also be involved in R&D to develop ways and means of improving the output of turbines by upgrading the existing systems.

Bags Rs 200 crore power plant equipment order from Oman

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (Bhel) has made its entry in the overseas petroleum sector for power plant equipment by procurring the largest export orders worth Rs 200 crore from Oman. The order assumes significance as this is the third successive order from Oman for a gas turbine project. The present order is for supply of 90 mw gas turbine from Oman Petroleum Development, Oman.

Petroleum Development Oman, a company jointly promoted by the Oman government and Shell, Partex and Total, has placed this order on BHEL for the supply installation and civil construction of three gas turbines of 30 MW each on theEPC basis for its project a Hubara.The first unit is planned for completition by September, 1999 and the whole project is expected to be completed by 2000.