BGR Energy along with its partner Hitachi Power Europe GmbH emerged as the lowest bidder for the Rs 16,000-crore power equipments order from NTPC.
Apart from BGR, the other power equipment makers BHEL and a joint venture between Larsen & Toubro and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have bid for supplying supercritical boilers, a company official said.
Other bids
While BHEL has emerged as the second lowest bidder, the joint venture between L&T and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was placed third lowest.
Supercritical boilers are those in which water is converted into steam at high pressure. It is a process which heats water quicker and saves fuel.
The bids were opened on Wednesday, the official said. NTPC floated the tender for setting up 11 units of supercritical power plants, 660 MW each, spread over five locations in the country. NTPC initiated the process subsequent to the February 16 Supreme Court order.
NTPC may give BGR Energy and Hitachi an order for as many as seven boilers, while BHEL, the second-lowest bidder, may be awarded as many as five, a company official said.
The entire process was delayed by more than a year after utility boiler maker Ansaldo Caldaie, the Italian power equipment manufacturer, now majority owned by Gammon India, challenged its disqualification on technical ground in the Delhi High Court.
After the bids are evaluated, the orders will be placed to two lowest bidders (as the work will be divided between the two lowest bidders) in the next few days according to Cabinet guidelines for the projects: Mouda STPP (2x660 megwatt), Solapur STPP (2x660 megawatt), Meja TPP (2x660 megawatt), Nabinagar (3X660 megawatt) and Raghunathpur TPP (2x660 megawatt), the official said.