UDAIPUR / PALATANA, September 15 (TIWN): OTPC and BHEL top level officials, engineers and technicians will have a high profile meeting later this week to finalise the date for trial run of the Unit-II of 726.6MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine(CCGT) Thermal Power Plant. According to TIWN sources in OTPC, BHEL officials are now taking extra interest in the entire process. A three members team of BHEL from Hyderabad will bring necessary equipments and spare parts that are required for the Unit-II. Once they return the final date of trial run will be announced, said our OTPC sources. However, the sources add that it is still unlikely that OTPC can start Commercial Generation from Unit-II before Durga Puja.

An OTPC engineer told TIWN on Monday afternoon," Before October 2nd week Commercial Generation may not be possible. The base capacity of Unit-II is 363.3MW and before full-load generation BHEL will have to go for a compulsory testing process. If those tests give desired result , BHEL will start the trial run on full-load and it has to a non-stop one for 72hours. As of now it is unlikely that the full-load trial run will begin before October." The engineer also added that during this full-load generation Power Grid capacity will also be tested. If Power Grid cannot give permission, BHEL cannot operate the plant in full load. And more importantly once the Power Grid is connected, Unit-I will have to be shut down.

    With Durga Puja is just less than three weeks time, neither Power Grid nor NERLDC will take the risk of shutdown because during the puja days power supply must remain uninterrupted. Thus, one can expect that by mid October Unit-II will be ready for Commercial generation. But everything depends on the return of BHEL team from Hyderabad.