From Our Correspondent
Agartala: The commercial production of Palatana’s first unit before Durga puja would be a challenging task with OTPC facing trouble to take the faulty gas booster compressors to Hyderabad, headquarters of BHEL.
To carry 30- tonne compressors, the OTPC brought a specially designed IAF aircraft- IL-76 on Tuesday. However, crews of IAF have refused to carry the gas booster compressors on technical ground at Agartala airport around 9 am.
Finding no other alternative, the OTPC authority has decided to send the faulty heavy-equipments to BHEL headquarters by trucks.
“Two trucks carrying two gas booster compressors will move towards BHEL headquarters in Hyderabad for repairing on Wednesday. It is hoped that the consignment will reach at BHEL headquarters within next ten days”, said Managing Director of OTPC SK Dube over telephone from Delhi on Wednesday.
At BHEL headquarters, the faulty gas booster compressors would be opened in presence of OTPC experts and BHEL engineers to assess actual damage.
According to BHEL experts, repairing of damaged gas booster compressors would take around one month.
It is to be mentioned here two gas booster compressors were damaged in course of trial run before ‘formal’ inauguration of Patalana’s first unit.
On being asked about the commercial production of the Palatana’s first unit, Dube said, “I am not in a position to say something because I had made several promises. Yes, we are really trying hard to start commercial production of the first unit of mega power project at the earliest”.
He further said work is in full swing for commissioning the second unit of Palatana project. “We are hopeful of finishing the work of second unit as early as possible”, he added.
President Pranab Mukherjee dedicated the first unit of Palatana mega power plant on June 21.
However, shortly after the opening, the plant was placed under shut down due to technical fault.
After month long cleaning drive by the ONGC, the 52 km gas pipeline is ready for supplying gas.
Now, faulty gas booster compressors appear major hurdle on way to start commercial production of mega power project.