GE Steam Power has signed a $165 million agreement with Indian state-run engineering firm Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) for the supply of three nuclear steam turbines.
GE Steam Power said these three steam turbines are for the first phase of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd’s (NPCIL) domestic nuclear programme. The first phase includes six units to be developed at Gorakhpur in Haryana (units 1-4) and at Kaiga in Karnataka (units 5&6). The overall programme includes 12 units with 700MWe indigenously-developed pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs).
In 2018, GE and BHEL had signed a business cooperation agreement and a License and Technology Transfer Agreement to enable them to manufacture 700MWe nuclear steam turbines. GE will manufacture the nuclear steam turbines at its facility in Sanand, Gujarat. The turbines are being engineered and manufactured based on an improved design for enhanced output that will meet the requirements of the customer, GE Steam Power said.
Frédéric Wiscart, Nuclear New Build Leader at GE Steam Power, said: “At GE Steam Power, we are proud to partner with BHEL and to continue to support NPCIL and India in its path to reliable and lower-carbon energy future. With our facility in Sanand, we have local manufacturing capability to deliver on the nuclear aspirations of India domestic programme.”
GE Steam Power has supplied nuclear steam turbines in consortium with BHEL for the ongoing NPCIL projects at Kakrapar NPP) and Rawatbhatha NPP), that will deliver 2.8GWe once completed.
Image: A GE nuclear steam turbine (courtesy of GE)
