BHEL Wins Rs 125 crore Solar PV Order in Gujarat
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), the country’s largest power generation equipment manufacturer have won two deals worth over Rs 125 crores for the installation of 30MW of solar power plants on an EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) basis in Gujarat.
Of the two orders, the first is for installing a 20 MW PV power plant, placed by Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (GACL). The second deal involves the installation of a 10 MW solar photovoltaic power plant which has been received from the Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited (GSFC). Both of the solar PV power plants will be installed at the Gujarat Solar Park in Charanka, Gujarat. With these two new orders, the total solar capacity under construction for BHEL at the Gujarat solar park reached 120 MW.
In March, the company also won a contract for Engineering, Procurement and Construction of a 75 MW solar photovoltaic power plant at the same solar park in Charanka, Gujarat. That deal was marked as the company’s largest solar PV project till date. The order for the plant was placed by the Gujarat Industries Power Company Ltd (GIPCL).
BHEL has been scrambling to be up to speed with the fast developments in the power generation sector, now making a decisive shift to renewables, from the earlier focus on thermal generation. The company has enhanced its state-of-the-art solar cell and module manufacturing lines. In addition to this, space-grade solar panels using high-efficiency cells and space-grade battery panels are also being manufactured by the company at its Bengaluru plant.
The company has signed a technology transfer agreement with the Indian Space Research Organisation for the manufacturing of Space Grade lithium-ion cells, which recently made the market. Read that report on iamrenew. It also received its first order from Himachal Pradesh, the largest ever order for the supply of solar PV modules from Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) and rooftop solar PV orders from the state of Telangana, and the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh. With these, the company’s solar capacity has grown to 580 MW with over 210 MW of rooftop and ground-mounted PV projects in development across the country.
“BHEL is one of the few companies in India whose solar business is backed by a dedicated R&D team. BHEL offers EPC solutions for both off-grid and grid-interactive SPV power plants and has set up solar plants in various locations in India including the Lakshadweep Islands for island electrification,” the company said in a statement.
