NTPC to hire 1,300 people by the next fiscal

New Delhi: The country's largest power producer NTPC today said it plans to recruit about 1,300 people in the next fiscal to support the company's ambitious target of becoming a 50,000-MW company by 2012.
The company, which hired 1,050 people in the previous financial year (2008-09), has so far added a headcount of 900 and would hike this figure to 1,100 by the end of the fiscal.
"Since we are expanding and we want to become a 50,000 MW company by 2012 we need 1,200-1,300 people in the next financial year (2010-11)," Director HR NTPC R C Shrivastava told PTI.
"For every 4,000 MW we need around 1,600 people both executive and non-executive," Shrivastava said adding that the 1,300 target is on very conservative side, it may be higher.

Strike cripples workers at DVC Mejia plant

Strike cripples workers at DVC Mejia plant

Sunday, 25 Oct 2009

It is reported that the ongoing strike by workers employed by contractors at Damodar Valley Corporation’s Mejia plant brought down the generation at the plant to one third on Friday.

Located in Bankura district of West Bengal the Mejia plant is DVC’s largest thermal power plant. The drop in generation is expected to create 100 MW shortfall in peak power supply in the State. West Bengal gets a share of the generation by the central power utility.

Sources in DVC said that out of a total capacity of 1340 MW by six units, the Mejia plant, located approximately 150 km from Kolkata, was producing approximately 360 MW from two units on Friday. The generation was hit as the agitating unions were not allowing coal supplies to the plant.

The strike has been called by CITU and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh led unions demanding wages higher than the State Government prescribed minimum wages for industrial workers. The INTUC led union, which initially supported the strike, opted out of it at a later stage.

According to sources, DVC has outsourced various operations of the power plant including coal handling, electrical maintenance, instrumentation maintenance, cleaning and so on to a number of contractors. As part of the contract agreement, DVC ensures that the workers employed by these contractors are paid the stipulated minimum wage of INR 126 a day plus medical, house rent and other allowances.

A source told Business Line that “The CITU and BMS led unions at Mejia are demanding a minimum wage of INR 187 a day in line with payments made to some temporary workers in our old units in Jharkhand. However, while such temporary workers are not offered any allowances, the unions at Mejia want the allowances too adding that efforts to resolve the differences through dialogue failed at a series of meetings mediated by the State Labour Commissioner’s office.”

DVC has reportedly made it clear that it would follow the State prescribed norms in fixing minimum wages for such workers employed by the contractors.

A DVC source said that “We may force contractors to offer higher wages provided the State Government amends its laws accordingly.”

(Sourced from Business Line)

Technology boost for power

Technology boost for power

22 Oct 2009, 0219 hrs IST, ET Bureau

It’s welcome that there is improved focus — albeit belated — on new technology and cutting-edge equipment in a policy-deficit sector like power, characterised by routine revenue leakage in the key area of distribution.

Reports say that power producers NTPC and DVC would soon invite bids for a series of super-critical boilers and turbines, for revved up thermal efficiency. The idea, of course, is to boost power output, with little or no increase in the fuel input.

It would improve our energy efficiency levels, reduce the relative price of power and very substantially increase energy availability too. An added bonus of increased diffusion of super-critical boilers in thermal plants would be the sustained decrease, in relative terms, of emissions of green-house gases. Super-critical boilers do increase thermal efficiency by up to a third or more, as compared to sub-critical boilers.

It implies added power generation, but without proportionate increase in, say, coal combustion. It means being concurrently energy efficient and environment friendly. So there’s no contradiction involved in aiming to shore up thermal efficiency levels and in the process tackling climate change, given the power-investment backlog. The NTPC and DVC bids require that domestic manufacturing of the boilers be made mandatory, in stages. We need to fastforward adoption of clean-coal technologies.

It is notable that the technology adoption in power is taking place over a wide range. The Centre, for example, has identified five new sites for new nuclear-power plants, to be built with Russian, French and US collaboration. The state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation has chalked out long-term plans for a quantum jump in generation capacity.

And the Centre reportedly plans to have an ambitious 20,000 mw of solar power capacity — or about a fifth of today’s conventional generation capacity — by 2020. What’s needed is concrete policy action and follow through, to actualise the plans. In tandem, what’s surely warranted is to clamp down on theft and reckless give-aways in the state power sector. Otherwise, the moribund finances of power utilities would short-circuit modernisation.

CIL to buy equipment worth $2 bn in 5 years

CIL to buy equipment worth $2 bn in 5 years

17 Oct 2009, 0102 hrs IST, ET Bureau

KOLKATA: Coal India (CIL) will procure spares and equipment worth $2 billion from the overseas market in the next five years. This will mainly be procured to beef up production levels by 175 million tonne, and take up at least 134 greenfield mining projects.

Confirming the development, CIL chairman Partha S Bhattacharyya said: “We intend to increase production capacity by as much as 35 mt every year over the next five years. This will require sourcing equipment from overseas — equipment that is not manufactured in India. The cumulative value is expected to be about $2 billion over the next five years.”

Going by the target, CIL is slated to touch a total production level of 570 mt by the end of the next five years. “To achieve this, we have to source high capacity open cast mining equipment, including high capacity dumpers, shovels and dredgers for mines. All these are not manufactured in the domestic market. A part of the procurement will also go into replacing existing old equipment,” said a senior CIL official.

Incidentally, CIL’s effort to take over the ailing Durgapur-based Mining and Allied Machineries Corporation (MAMC) is yet to fructify. The proposal was taken up to start manufacturing underground mining equipment at the plant since there are no established makers as on date.

Once, MAMC’s debts are waived by the Centre, CIL and its partners, including Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), will be able to manufacture open cast mining equipment, too. “It will help substitute imported equipment for both open cast as well as underground mines. However, we are still waiting for the government’s clearance,” said NC Jha, director technical at CIL.

“Since MAMC is a BIFR case, the joint takeover proposal by BEML, CIL and DVC to take over the firm will now have to be passed by the high court, following which needs to be cleared by the Cabinet. BEML intends to take 48% in the company, while CIL and DVC will take 26% each,” said a CIL official.

Incidentally, MAMC owed the West Bengal government about Rs 100 crore, which has already been waived. Central dues stand at about Rs 1,200 crore, and will require a Cabinet clearance.

NTPC and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) are likely to float on Friday global tenders worth over Rs 25,000 crore

NTPC may float Rs 25,000cr tender

16 Oct 2009, 0333 hrs IST, ET Bureau

NEW DELHI: State-owned power generation companies NTPC and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) are likely to float on Friday global tenders worth over Rs 25,000 crore for sourcing supercritical power equipment for five power plants, a power ministry official told ET.

The proposal, which has already been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, requires the successful bidders to also gradually shift production to India, setting in motion the government’s initiative to encourage domestic manufacturing of the energy efficient power equipment. The equipment would kick-start five power projects across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Jharkhand, setting in motion investment of about Rs 40,000 crore.

According to the official, who refused to be named, the power utilities would jointly invite international competitive bids (ICB) for bulk supply of super-critical power equipment for 11 units of 660 MW each. The tender

terms have a clause making domestic manufacturing mandatory in stages.

So far five companies—BHEL, L&T-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) combine, Alstom-Bharat Forge, Toshiba-JSW and Italian company Ansaldo Caldie—have expressed their interest in participating in the bulk tender for supercritical equipment. The government, however, expects participation from even Chinese, Russian and a few East European companies.

Out of the 11 supercritical units, nine would be used by NTPC for its projects while two will be used by DVC. It has been decided that NTPC would invite two separate international competitive bids (ICB)—one for all boilers and the second for steam turbine generator (STG) islands—instead of a single common boiler-turbine-generator (BTG) bulk package.

Super-critical power generation equipment for Damodar Valley Corp. (DVC)

New Delhi: India’s efforts to generate clean power, and do so more efficiently, could get a fillip with state-owned power generation utility NTPC Ltd getting ready to issue a Rs40,000 crore tender for the supply of so-called super-critical power generation equipment for its proposed projects and those of Damodar Valley Corp. (DVC). on 18 October.

Super critical equipment, apart from being environment-friendly, help increase plant efficiencies.

The order, the largest such single one, will be for the supply of 11 boilers and 11 turbines of 660MW each. Bids will be opened by January 2010 and the orders will be placed by April next year. Of these, nine units will be for NTPC and two for DVC.

“We plan to issue the notice inviting tenders on 18 October. While the power ministry’s approval has already been received, we are waiting for the Central Vigilance Commission’s approval,” said a senior NTPC executive who did not want to be identified.

CVC oversees the functioning of government agencies and state-owned companies. The cabinet committee on infrastructure has already given its approval to the tender, which should bring some cheer to the capital goods industry and the power sector.

The order will be placed through international bidding, with a stipulation that the winner set up manufacturing facilities in the country.

The bid formula will work thus: the lowest bidder for boilers will be given an order for six units. If Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (Bhel) is the lowest bidder, it gets the order for six units. If it is not, the government will still award it the order for the remaining five units (of the 11), provided it agrees to match the lowest bid. If Bhel does not match the bid, an option will be given to others in the order of bid ranking. A similar system will be followed while ordering for the turbines.

A second NTPC executive, who also declined to be identified, confirmed the plan for bid award process and said, “the bid documents have been finalized.”

Mint had reported on 16 June that the government’s agenda for its first 100 days in office that ended 29 August included this proposal.

Analysts Mint spoke termed the order a significant one and described it as part of India’s attempt to launch a super-critical power programme along the lines of similar efforts in the US, Japan, Germany, Korea and Russia.

Apart from Bhel, private sector consortia expected to participate in the tender include Toshiba Corp. of Japan along with JSW Group; Ansaldo Caldaie SpA of Italy and GB Engineering Enterprises Pvt. Ltd; and Larsen and Toubro Ltd and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd of Japan.

“It (the order) is important for equipment manufacturers such as L&T, Toshiba and others who are entering the sector. Bhel stands to gain as there is an assurance of a minium order,” said Madanagopal R., an equity research analyst at Mumbai-based brokerage Centrum Broking Pvt. Ltd

After the Bengal government, it is the turn of the DVC to face the heat over land acquisition

ADRA (PURULIA): After the Bengal government, it is the turn of the DVC to face the heat over land acquisition. Hundreds of villagers living on either side of the Bengal-Jharkhand border have launched an agitation demanding proper compensation and jobs for the families of those who had to give up their land for the Panchet dam 56 years ago.

The villagers have been sitting on a dharna since October 2 in front of the administrative building of DVC in Panchet. The agitation is being carried out under the banner of DVC Khotigrosto Sangram Samiti. Trinamool Congress and JMM have reportedly decided to extend moral support to the movement.

In 1953, 34,000 acres of land spread over villages in Bengal and Bihar (now Jharkhand) were acquired for the dam. Around 73,650 families living in over 100 villages 30-35 in Bengal were affected.

Basudeb Mallick, a resident of Santalpur in Dhanbad and secretary of the samiti, said: "The affected families had been told that they would be compensated, but nothing has happened."

Sraban Singha of Raibandh village in Nituria block of Purulia said they have asked the DVC management to open a dialogue with them by October 11. If the authorities fail to do so, the protesters will disrupt work at the dam, he warned.

Animesh Mukherjee, chief engineer of DVC's Panchet project, said the corporation had given jobs to 4,862 affected villagers in the 1950s. Then, in 1977, a compensation package was announced and jobs were given to another 102 people. "If the villagers have valid documents, they should approach the SDO with their claims," he added.

CPM MP Basudeb Acharya had raised the issue in Parliament and urged DVC to employ the kin of those affected. Charan Bauri, a JMM leader in Nituria, said many of the landless are now too old to work. "How much can they be compensated after so many decades?" he asked. Trinamool's S P Yadav echoed his views.