The Bhutan government has placed an order for six hydro turbines and ancillary equipment to develop its biggest power project, the 1020MW Tala plant. The order has been placed with India’s Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL), which says it is the largest single order it has ever received.
BHEL’s contract includes design, manufacture, supply, erection and commissioning of six Pelton hydro turbines along with matching generators, main inlet valves, butterfly valves, microprocessor-based control and static excitation equipment.
The Tala plant, being developed by the Tala Hydroelectric Project Authority, will be located on the banks of the Wangchu river with a head of 820m for power generation. The project is scheduled for completion by 2004-5. It will have an underground power house with 6x170MW generating units. The power is intended to be transmitted through a 400kV line to Siliguri, West Bengal where it will join India’s eastern grid.