Chennai: With the tendering process for two of its power projects being dragged to court, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation has made major changes in the bidding conditions to encourage indigenous manufacture of thermal technology in the bids floated for the controversial 1,320 MW Udangudi Supercritical Thermal Power Project. Tangedco has floated fresh bids for the much delayed 2X660 MW Udangudi project after scrapping the previous tender in March this year citing defects in the bids of both BHEL and CSEPDI-TRISHE consortium. The consortium had moved the Madras high court against cancellation of bids.
To avoid controversies over the bidding process, Tangedco has decided to strictly follow the Central Electricity Authority’s direction to incorporate the condition of setting up of phased indigenous manufacturing facilities in the bid floated for the Udangudi supercritical power projects, a senior Tangedco official said. National Thermal Power Corporation is following the CEA norms, he said. Under the Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP), the bidder should procure supercritical boiler or turbine manufactured in the country and such manufacturing facilities should be owned by the bidder or should have a registered subsidiary or joint venture manufacturing facility.
“Only those companies which fulfil these conditions will qualify for the tendering process. It will also avoid needless controversies,” the official said. The indigenisation of manufacturing facility would also ensure availability of spares within the country itself.“If the main plant equipment is imported from China, in case of repair which needs replacement, we have to import it,” the official explained. When asked whether the Indo-Chinese consortium would qualify for the Udangudi project, the official refused to comment.
The official said so far five companies had evinced interest in participating in the bidding process. “All these companies will participate in a pre bid meeting on June 16,” the official said, adding that techno commercial bids would be opened on July 2. “After processing the price bids, we are planning to award work order by September.” Tangedco has also commenced preliminary work on the stage II and stage III phase of the Udangudi project with 1320 MW capacity each. “We are planning to make Udangudi a ultra mega power project with a total of 4000 MW generation capacity,” the official said.
