Standing Committee's indictment: Asks NTPC's equipment JVs to shape up on time

While inadequate equipment manufacturing capacity continues to hamper power projects, the nascent partnerships forged by NTPC with other companies to alleviate these shortfalls are seemingly unable to take off. The Standing Committee on Energy has expressed concern on the fact that both NTPC-BHEL Power Projects Limited (NBPPL) and Bharat Forge-NTPC Energy Systems Limited (BNESL), formed by the power major to enhance the availibility of power equipment in India, have been unable to make much headway into setting up their respective facilities.   While NBPPL, a joint venture between NTPC and BHEL floated in April 2008, has only just initiated the process of acquiring the land needed, BNESL, established for manufacturing of castings and forgings for pumps and HP piping, is yet to even identify land suitable for its works.

NBPPL has, till date, managed to bag only two BoP contracts, that too from its parent firm, BHEL-- for ONGC Tripura Company Limited`s 726 MW gas based power project in Tripura and 100 MW Namrup combined cycle power plant (CCPP) in Assam.

However, given the rudimentary state of its operations, it is unclear at this point as to how it intends to even fulfill these modest contracts.

The Committee has, thus, strongly recommended that JVs make all out efforts to commission their facilities in time. In addition, it has asked that the power ministry constantly monitor the progress of these JVs, so that any foreseeable obstacles do not hamper the 12th Plan capacity addition programme.