BHEL Licensed to Manufacture Mitsubishi Flue Gas Desulfurization Systems in India

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Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Anticipating the tightening of India's environmental regulations for thermal power stations' emissions, state-controlled Bharat Heavy Electricals (NSI:BHEL.NS) (New Delhi, India) has signed an agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (OTC:MHVYF) (MHI) (Tokyo, Japan), under which MHI will license its flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) technologies to the Indian company.

This is the first time a Japanese company has licensed FGD technology to an Indian company. The licensing agreement covers MHI's engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) technologies for limestone/gypsum-based and seawater-based FGD systems for coal-fired boilers in power generation projects, and for boilers in other industrial applications.

BHEL will engineer and manufacture the systems at its Ranipet unit in Tamil Nadu. It is hoping to take a leading position in the Indian market with this move. This chimes with MIH's desire to be in the same sector.

The Central Pollution Control Board of the Ministry of Environment and Forests is planning to introduce the regulations on sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions at an early date, and the Central Electric Authority (CEA) already has suggested that power project developers integrate the installation of FGD systems into their project plans.

More than 60% of India's electric power generation, more than 120,000 megawatts (MW), is fired by coal, and plans are in the project pipeline to generate 80,000 MW more of coal-fired power.

In MHI's liquid column tower FGD method, limestone slurry is sprayed upward from the lower area of an absorption tower. Twice, on ascending and again on descending, the slurry liquid makes contact with the flue gas. This simpler structure enhances the capacity remove SO2. Since 1972, MHI has delivered 220 FGD systems globally.

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