GE Steam Power has signed a contract worth $165 million (around Rs.1,290 crore) with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) for the supply of three nuclear steam turbines.
In a release, GE Steam Power said that these three steam turbines are part of the six units for the first phase of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd’s (NPCIL) domestic nuclear programme.
The first phase includes six units to be developed at Gorakhpur in Haryana (Units 1 to 4) and at Kaiga in Karnataka (Units 5 and 6). The overall programme includes 12 units of 700-mwe indigenously-developed pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWR), representing 8.4 GW of CO2-free electricity.
GE-BHEL agreement
In 2018, GE and BHEL had signed a business cooperation agreement and a License and Technology Transfer Agreement to enable them to manufacture nuclear steam turbines of 700 MW. Thanks to this partnership, the two companies are well positioned to respond to the country needs for lower carbon source of energy.
GE will manufacture the nuclear steam turbines at its facility in Sanand, Gujarat. These turbines are being engineered and manufactured with an improved design for enhanced output that will meet the requirements of the customer, GE Steam Power said.
Proud partner
Frédéric Wiscart, Nuclear New Build Leader for GE Steam Power, said “Nuclear energy is a critical and one of the most dependable sources of carbon-free power providing round-the-clock energy supply without interruption. At GE Steam Power, we are proud to partner with BHEL and to continue to support NPCIL and India in its path to reliable and lowercarbon energy future.With our facility in Sanand, we have local manufacturing capability to deliver on the nuclear aspirations of India domestic programme.”
Also read: BHEL Dispatches Its 42nd Nuclear Steam Generator To NPCIL
GE technology
Today, GE’s steam turbine technology operates in 50 per cent of the world’s nuclear power plants, producing 200 GW for the global grid, the company said. GE Steam Power has supplied nuclear steam turbines in consortium with BHEL for the ongoing NPCIL projects at Kakrapar (KAPP) and Rawatbhatha (RAPP), that will deliver 2,8 GW of CO2 free energy once completed.
Featured photograph (source: GE) showing a GE nuclear steam turbine is for representation only
