OREANDA-NEWS. January 28, 2013.  Hitachi, Ltd. (President: Hiroaki Nakanishi) today announced that it has received an order from its Indian partner BGR Energy Systems Ltd. (Chairman: B. G. Raghupathy) and the NTPC Limited of India for two steam turbine generators for the Lara Super Thermal Power Project, a new 800MW supercritical coal-fired power plant in the state of Chhattisgarh in India.

NTPC is currently planning the construction of nine supercritical coal-fired power plants at four different sites, and in September 2011 BGR Energy Systems was awarded preferred bidder status for four steam turbine generators at two different sites. This order formalizes this arrangement for two units at one site. A decision has also been made to proceed with two units at the Darlipali Super Thermal Power Project, the other site in the state of Orissa, and a formal order is anticipated in due course.

Demand for electric power in India is growing along with that nation's rapid economic growth, and this has resulted in power shortages becoming severe in some regions. To overcome this problem, a major increase in capacity up to 330GW, roughly twice the current level, is planned by 2017. Coal-fired power generation currently accounts for about two-thirds of India's total generation capacity, and it is anticipated that it will remain the primary energy source in the future.

Hitachi and BGR Energy Systems established a joint-venture, BGR Turbines Company Private Limited, in September 2010 to manufacture steam turbine generators for coal-fired power generation to the rapidly growing Indian market.

BGR Energy Systems is the lead contractor for this new order, and Hitachi will supply the key equipment for two steam turbine generators through BGR Turbines. Operation of two units for Lara Project is scheduled to commence in 2016.