Russian contractors blamed for delay in Indian thermal project

NTPC blamed two Russian suppliers for for the delay in its 1,980 MW Barh I super thermal power project.

Many critical milestones are pending due to the shoddy performance of Russian firms Power Machines and Technopromexport.

The two Russian contractors have failed to pick up pace and conclude balance works despite NTPC's repeated requests.

The contractors' non-adherence to the approved schedule has become so critical that the Power Ministry may intervene to help resolve NTPC's contractual woes.

One of the biggest worry for NTPC is Power Machines' delay in boxing up of the turbo generator set, oil flushing and commencement of condenser erection.

The Russian supplier was supposed to complete all the above stated milestones by December last year but the delay in works has postponed the target date by at least a year to January 2014.

On the other hand, TPE has not completed the supply arrangements of critical bought out items (BOI), including pulverised fuel pipes (PF pipes), equipment cooling water (ECW) system and support structures for air and gas ducts.

Moreover, TPE has delayed the procurement of the Indian Boiler Regulation (IBR) certificate necessary for erecting pressure-parts of a turbine. The contractor has, however, committed to complete the pending work by March 2013.