ANDRITZ has received a contract from JSW Energy (Kutehr) Ltd, relating to a hydropower project in north India.
International technology group ANDRITZ, in a release, said that it has won a mandate (of undisclosed value) from JSW Energy (Kutehr) Ltd to supply the electro-mechanical package for the upcoming 240-mw Kutehr hydropower plant in Himachal Pradesh.
By securing this prestigious contract, ANDRITZ has further consolidated its position as a leading player in the hydropower market in India, the release from ANDRITZ noted.
JSW Energy (Kuther) Ltd, an independent power producer, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of JSW Energy Ltd, in turn, part of the JSW Group.
The hydropower plant, coming up on River Ravi in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, is designed to annually generate 955 GWh of electrical energy, potentially meeting the electricity demand of 4.6 million households.
The contract will include design, manufacturing, supply, transport, erection, testing and commissioning of three Francis turbine generator units with a capacity of 80-mw each, along with associated auxiliaries and ancillary equipment.
The contract will be executed by ANDRITZ’s Indian subsidiary with its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Mandideep (near Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh) and Prithla (near Faridabad, Haryana).
JSW Energy (Kutehr) Ltd won the concession for development of the Kutehr run-of-river project on BOOT (build, own, operate, transfer) basis from the government of Himachal Pradesh. The implementation agreement between JSW Group and the Himachal Pradesh government was signed in March 2011.
What is an ROR project?
A typical run-of-river (ROR) hydropower project consists of a dam or a weir which impounds the waters which are then diverted away from the river into a head race tunnel (HRT) for a few kilometers, and then dropped into a power house via a pressure shaft or penstock to turn the turbines, and then released back into the river through a tail race tunnel (TRT).
The project is envisaged to harness the head available between villages Kutehr and Kharamukh, both situated along Chamba-Holi road about 70 km and 51 km, respectively, upstream of Chamba.
According to information available, 12 per cent of the electricity generated from the 240-mw Kutehr project will be supplied free of cost to Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board—the power distribution utility of the home state—for the first 12 years of the plant’s commercial life.
For ANDRITZ, this is the second such contract in recent history, the earlier being in June this year, for the 624-mw Kiru project.
(Featured photograph sourced from www.andritz.com shows a Francis turbine by ANDRITZ)
