The AP-Genco’s new 800-MW unit at Dr. Narla Tatarao Thermal Power Station (NTTPS) at Ibrahimpatnam, near here, is likely to be ready for commissioning in another four to six months provided the contractor — BGR Energy Systems (BES) — carries out the balance-of-plant works on a war-footing.
The BES began BoP works way back in 2017-18, but it could not stick to the timelines due to its financial woes, labour issues and some extraneous factors including the COVID pandemic.
The Andhra Pradesh government tried its best to get the BoP component finished as per schedule, but gave a few extensions of time, which resulted in the overall project being delayed inordinately.
According to reliable sources, the BoP works are at this moment not going on at the desired pace, but are set to gather steam in the coming days due to mounting pressure from the government which requires incremental capacity additions as the mismatch between demand and supply continues especially during the summer, and is barely able to overcome the nagging coal crisis.
The public sector behemoth BHEL had been entrusted with the task of installing the Boiler-Turbine-Generator (BTG) part.
Now, the sticking point in the whole project is that both the BTW and BoP works ought to be executed simultaneously, but the delay is apparently on the part of BES, which has to construct coal bunkers and conveyor belts and finish other works.
Only then BHEL can install the BTG and the commercial operations date can be fixed. While this is so, BES might pitch for sanction of escalation of costs.
The existing capacity of NTTPS is 1,760 Megawatts comprising six units of 210 MW each and a single unit of 500 MW capacity.
NTTPS is one of the three major thermal power plants in Andhra Pradesh, the others being the 1,600-MW Sri Damodaram Sanjeevaiah Thermal Power Station at Krishnapatnam (a new 800-MW unit is almost ready for commissioning here) and the 1,650-MW Rayalaseema Thermal Power Plant in Kadapa district.
