Amidst stiff competitive bidding, BHEL has won a prestigious order for the supply of 32 reactor header assemblies from Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).

The order has been won under NPCIL’s fleet mode procurement for India’s highest rated indigenously-developed 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) to be set up at four different locations in the country, BHEL informed the BSE.

Significantly, this is the first equipment order placed by NPCIL under the fleet mode procurement programme and will give an impetus to domestic manufacturing.

The government had accorded approval for fleet mode implementation of 10 nuclear reactors of 700 MWe PHWRs in 2017. The setting up of these 10 nuclear reactors will further energise the Prime Minister’s Atmanirbhar Bharat mission.

Notably, BHEL has the distinction of being associated with all the three stages of the Indian Nuclear Power Programme and has been the primary supplier for reactor headers, steam turbines, steam generators, motors, etc. to NPCIL. Till now all the reactor Header Assemblies for 700 MWe PHWR- based Nuclear power projects in India have been supplied by BHEL.

The company has dedicated infrastructure and skilled manpower to address the special design, manufacturing and testing requirements complying with International codes and standards for various components/equipment of NPPs.

Presently, nearly 75 per cent of PHWR-based nuclear power plants in India are equipped with BHEL-supplied turbine and generator sets.