ANDRITZ has announced that it has successfully installed draft tube of Unit 1 of the Shongtong Karcham hydropower project in Himachal Pradesh.
In a release, ANDRITZ said that the draft tube installation had started in June 2023 and the successful installation of the draft tube of Unit 1 was achieved in the first week of August 2023, within a remarkable 55 days as against the revised schedule of 72 days.
Installation of the draft tube of Unit-2 is currently underway, the release said.
Diverging from the conventional practice of utilizing dead weights for load testing of EOT cranes, a methodology of utilizing water-based balloon systems was employed for the first time within an underground powerhouse for two 250-ton EOT cranes, ANDRITZ said.
The release noted that amidst a series of geological challenges encountered during the project initially, the scheduled initiation of installation activities faced delays. These circumstances necessitated the implementation of an extended storage and preservation strategy for the supplied equipment, spanning an impressive duration of four to five years.
The mandate
The aforementioned draft tube installation relates to a major order received by ANDRITZ in March 2015 from Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd. (HPPCL) to supply the complete electro-mechanical equipment for the new 450 MW Shongtong Karcham hydropower plant.
ANDRITZ’s scope of supply is design, manufacturing, supply, erection, testing as well as commissioning of three vertical 150 mw Francis turbines and generators including the complete electrical and mechanical balance of plant, generator transformers, 400kV GIS, XLPE cables, shunt reactors, control, protection and excitation systems as well as coating of underwater parts.
Also read: ANDRITZ Achieves Significant Progress On Pinnapuram PSP
Third collaboration
The Shongtong Karcham project marks the third collaboration between ANDRITZ and HPPCL after the Sawra Kuddu and Kashang projects.
Featured photograph (source: ANDRITZ) shows installation of draft tube of Unit 1 of the Shongtong Karcham hydropower project in Himachal Pradesh.