BHEL mulling manufacturing facility in Maharashtra

TIRUCHIRAPPALLI (TN): Engineering major BHEL is contemplating setting up a manufacturing facility in Latur in Maharashtra, a senior company official said on Friday.

"The Maharashtra government has evinced interest to offer adequate land for the project. The product would be something allied to thermal power generation," Executive Director of BHEL (Tiruchy complex) A V Krishnan said.

He said BHEL Board was yet to decide on the exact product range, size and investment for the new project, which he indicated would come under the jurisdiction of BHEL here.

BHEL complex comprises of high pressure boiler plant and seamless steel tube plant in Tiruchirappalli, piping centre in Chennai and industrial valve plant at Goindwal in Punjab.

Besides the manufacturing facility in Maharashtra, discussions were on with Maharashtra Power Generation Corporation to install a 660 mw thermal power station in the state, Krishnan added.

BHEL is also planning to set up a two mw solar power generating plant in its complex here at a cost of Rs 17 crore, he said.

"A detailed project report had been submitted to the BHEL Board for the formal approval," he said, adding it would become operational in 11 months once the board gave its nod.

On the long-pending joint venture power project with Tamil Nadu government at Uthangudi in Ramanathapuram District, he said only recently BHEL had been informed about the change in coal linkage to the unit and it is working on preparing a new design of the project.

The design drawings would be ready within two months, he added.