Sixty Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) projects are facing more than 21,300 mega watts (MW) worth of project delays under the revised 11th Plan’s target of 62,000 MW. Despite the shortcomings, the power ministry is content with BHEL’s performance in the 11th Plan, during which the navaratna PSU has added about 11,000 MW. Nineteen of those 60 projects are now either border-line projects or will certainly not contribute to the revised target. The delays, which BHEL insists are not entirely their fault, will still push more than 7,800 MW of new capacity, using BHEL equipment, out of the largest five-year-plan for power — putting the 62,000 MW target in jeopardy. “Many delays are caused by certain customer inputs,” said BHEL's Director Power Atul Saraya. “So in certain circumstances, we have rightly pointed to the customer, which in turn has come as a help because some have agreed to 'zero' our commissioning date so that it does not appear as though a two-year delay is the entire fault of BHEL.” Along with delays on the parts of consumers, Saraya said the list of BHEL projects delayed because of environmental clearances has surpassed 10,000 MW in the 11th plan.
Despite the looming probability of further shortfall, power ministry officials have changed their tune over the last year since Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told Parliament that BHEL was dragging down the power sector. This year, the MoP is satisfied with BHEL's accomplishments and had taken steps forward to protect the interests of the heavy industry giant by almost ensuring that it would win a large sum of NTPC's bulk-orders for supercritical projects. “BHEL has performed admirably, reaching total capacity of 15,000 MW,” said a ministry official who did not want to be named.
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