CHENNAI: The Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) will supply a ‘stator’, a major power plant equipment a new for the North Chennai Thermal Power extension project (2 x 600 MW) near Ennore here, to compensate for the one that was damaged after it fell into a river in Madhya Pradesh during transit some days ago.The public sector giant sent a stator - a vital accessory of the electricity generator in a power plant around which the rotor revolves - to be installed at the upcoming first unit (1 x 600 MW) of the North Chennai Thermal Power Station.However, the heavy, high-value equipment, that weighed over 300 tonnes fell into a river from the truck when it crossed a narrow bridge in Madhya Pradesh.Though it was initially planned to fish out the equipment and send it again to Chennai after an assessment, the plan was subsequently dropped.According to sources in TANGEDCO, the public sector giant has now agreed to send a new stator after apprehensions were raised about certain compromised functional features of the damaged equipment.Varinder Pandhi, Executive Director, Heavy Electrical Equipment Plant, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Haridwar confirmed the development. “Yes. We had a meeting. It was decided that a new stator would be supplied as soon as possible,” Pandhi told Express over phone.To ensure operationalisation of the first unit of (1 x 600) North Chennai extension project by February next, the speedy installation of stator is indispensable. This assumes significance as the State government has set August 2012 as the deadline to significantly halt outages across Tamil Nadu.When asked, officials said the stator intended for the second unit will be used for the first unit as soon as it arrived. “We are expecting the stator soon. We are hopeful of launching the first unit as per the schedule,” a senior official said.
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