As part of India’s overall strategy to strengthen relationships with mineral- and resource-rich African countries, state-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (Bhel) plans to enter new markets such as Burkina Faso, Niger and Sierra Leone by supplying power generation equipment valued at Rs. 3,200 crore, said senior Bhel executives.
The projects, both in coal and hydropower, are to be set up by the respective governments of these mineral-rich countries and are expected to be executed through the Indian government’s support.
“We are looking at two orders in Burkina Faso. One is an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) order for a 200 megawatts (MW) coal-based project and the other is for supplying electromechanical equipment for a 100MW hydropower project,” said a senior Bhel executive, who did not want to be identified.
“While in Niger, we are looking at setting up a 100MW coal-based project, in Sierra Leone we plan to supply electromechanical equipment for a 200MW hydropower project and set up a 100MW coal-based project on a turnkey basis. All these projects are government owned and will be set up through government of India support,” the executive added.
While Burkina Faso has gold deposits, Niger and Sierra Leone have uranium and diamond reserves, respectively. State-run Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd estimates India’s uranium reserves to be some 78,000 tonnes, about 0.8% of the global total, which can support around 10,000 MW of generation. But delays in uranium mining projects have resulted in a demand-supply mismatch.
While another Bhel executive confirmed the plans of India’s largest power generation equipment manufacturer, officials at the Burkina Faso embassy and Niger’s consulate couldn’t be reached for comment. Despite being rich in energy resources, Africa suffers from power shortages. Businesses have suffered power outages on “more than half the working days in the year”, said a report by lobby group Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. West and Central Asia and Africa are the primary international markets for Bhel. In an attempt to create awareness and goodwill that may help win orders, Bhel has also been holding health camps in African countries, Mint had reported on 28 September.
India has in recent years scrambled to come up with a cohesive economic diplomacy policy in Africa, where it has lost ground to China.
In an effort to catch up with the progress China, South Korea and Malaysia have made with their African plans, India has held two India-Africa summits—one in New Delhi in April 2008, and the second in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in May. India has set a target of $70 billion (Rs. 3.11 crore) in trade with the continent by 2015.
Bhel’s focus on exports also stems from a concern that its market share in India may decline to a projected 50%, from the current 60%, in the next five years because of increasing local and overseas competition.
The company posted a net profit of Rs. 6,011 crore on revenue of Rs. 43,337 crore in the fiscal ended 31 March. Bhel won international orders worth Rs. 3,700 crore last fiscal and plans to win orders worth Rs. 5,000 crore from the international market in the current fiscal year.
Bhel has an order book position of at least Rs. 1.64 trillion and an annual capacity of 15,000MW. It aims to become a $10 billion-plus firm by 2012
PK Bajpai appointed Director (Finance)
PK Bajpai has been appointed as the Director (Finance) of Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL). Before he took over the charge of Director (Finance), Mr Bajpai was heading the firm's financial services division as Executive Director. Bajpai is a Mechanical Engineer from IIT, Kanpur. He is also an MBA from the University of Leeds, UK and AICWA from the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India. In 1977, he has joined BHEL as an Engineer Trainee. Moreover, he also has 34 years of diversified and versatile professional experience as he has worked in major segments of BHEL.
BHEL works as an engineering and manufacturing enterprise in the energy-related/infrastructure sector. The company offers air preheaters, boilers, control relay panels, electrostatic precipitators, fabric filters, fans, gas turbines, hydro power plant, piping systems, pulverizers, pumps, seamless steel tubes, soot blowers, steam generators, steam turbines, turbo generators, and valves for thermal, nuclear, gas, and hydro-based utility power plants.
The projects, both in coal and hydropower, are to be set up by the respective governments of these mineral-rich countries and are expected to be executed through the Indian government’s support.
“We are looking at two orders in Burkina Faso. One is an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) order for a 200 megawatts (MW) coal-based project and the other is for supplying electromechanical equipment for a 100MW hydropower project,” said a senior Bhel executive, who did not want to be identified.
“While in Niger, we are looking at setting up a 100MW coal-based project, in Sierra Leone we plan to supply electromechanical equipment for a 200MW hydropower project and set up a 100MW coal-based project on a turnkey basis. All these projects are government owned and will be set up through government of India support,” the executive added.
While Burkina Faso has gold deposits, Niger and Sierra Leone have uranium and diamond reserves, respectively. State-run Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd estimates India’s uranium reserves to be some 78,000 tonnes, about 0.8% of the global total, which can support around 10,000 MW of generation. But delays in uranium mining projects have resulted in a demand-supply mismatch.
While another Bhel executive confirmed the plans of India’s largest power generation equipment manufacturer, officials at the Burkina Faso embassy and Niger’s consulate couldn’t be reached for comment. Despite being rich in energy resources, Africa suffers from power shortages. Businesses have suffered power outages on “more than half the working days in the year”, said a report by lobby group Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. West and Central Asia and Africa are the primary international markets for Bhel. In an attempt to create awareness and goodwill that may help win orders, Bhel has also been holding health camps in African countries, Mint had reported on 28 September.
India has in recent years scrambled to come up with a cohesive economic diplomacy policy in Africa, where it has lost ground to China.
In an effort to catch up with the progress China, South Korea and Malaysia have made with their African plans, India has held two India-Africa summits—one in New Delhi in April 2008, and the second in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in May. India has set a target of $70 billion (Rs. 3.11 crore) in trade with the continent by 2015.
Bhel’s focus on exports also stems from a concern that its market share in India may decline to a projected 50%, from the current 60%, in the next five years because of increasing local and overseas competition.
The company posted a net profit of Rs. 6,011 crore on revenue of Rs. 43,337 crore in the fiscal ended 31 March. Bhel won international orders worth Rs. 3,700 crore last fiscal and plans to win orders worth Rs. 5,000 crore from the international market in the current fiscal year.
Bhel has an order book position of at least Rs. 1.64 trillion and an annual capacity of 15,000MW. It aims to become a $10 billion-plus firm by 2012
PK Bajpai appointed Director (Finance)
PK Bajpai has been appointed as the Director (Finance) of Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL). Before he took over the charge of Director (Finance), Mr Bajpai was heading the firm's financial services division as Executive Director. Bajpai is a Mechanical Engineer from IIT, Kanpur. He is also an MBA from the University of Leeds, UK and AICWA from the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India. In 1977, he has joined BHEL as an Engineer Trainee. Moreover, he also has 34 years of diversified and versatile professional experience as he has worked in major segments of BHEL.
BHEL works as an engineering and manufacturing enterprise in the energy-related/infrastructure sector. The company offers air preheaters, boilers, control relay panels, electrostatic precipitators, fabric filters, fans, gas turbines, hydro power plant, piping systems, pulverizers, pumps, seamless steel tubes, soot blowers, steam generators, steam turbines, turbo generators, and valves for thermal, nuclear, gas, and hydro-based utility power plants.
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