NTPC gets 4 bids for huge boiler tender: source

Indian power utility NTPC Ltd has got four bids from consortiums including French, Japanese and Italian firms in its multi-billion dollar tender to buy boilers for five projects, a company source said on Thursday.NTPC on Wednesday opened the technical bids for the tender for supply of boilers for 11 plants with 660 megawatts capacity each, the source, who did not wish to be identified, said.

Bharat Heavy Electricals and France's Alstom, Larsen &Toubro and Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, BGR Energy Systems and Japan's Hitachi Ltd, and Gammon India and Italy's Ansaldo STS SpA have submitted the bids, he said.NTPC reissued the tender in June for supply of nine boilers for its four projects and two for a project of state-run Damodar Valley Corp.

The company cancelled a previous tender for the boilers as only one company, BHEL, was left in the running. However, it has shortlisted three bidders after technical evaluation for purchase of turbines for the plants.

"The combined tender (boilers and turbines) is expected to cost about Rs 40,000 crore (about $8.53 billion) of which the package for boilers is estimated at Rs 18,000 to 22,000," the source said.

BHEL and two consortiums of Bharat Forge and Alstom and Japan's Toshiba Corp and JSW Energy have qualified for the turbine generator package.The source said the bulk tender for supply of boilers and turbines would be awarded by December or January.An NTPC spokeswomen declined to comment.

India's power capacity growth plan, which aims to add 100,000 megawatts during 2012-17 to its current installed capacity of 166,366 MW, is attracting global players.