KSB Ltd expects to adhere to the previously-announced delivery schedule on the Rs.400-crore order placed by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL).
In an investor presentation dated August 3, 2021, highlighting the company’s performance during the April-June quarter of 2021, KSB said that the first “unit” of the delivery will be made by April 16, 2022 – unchanged from what was announced in early May 2021. The second “unit” will be delivered latest by April 16, 2023.
There has been a delay of around 14 months from the contractual date, caused by COVID-related disruptions, KSB said. The Pune-headquartered KSB has also requested for delivery extension from NPCIL, invoking the “force majeure” clause.
The order
The order, valued at Rs.398 crore, is for eight pumps and ten motors. These would form part of the the reactor cooling pumps (RSR 400/2) for pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWR) associated with the upcoming Gorakhpur nuclear power plant of NPCIL. One “unit” referred above stands for four pumps and five motors. The order is for two such units.
The overall progress on the order, as of July 19, 2021, was 40 per cent against the 58 per cent, originally planned.
Also known as GHAVP (Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojana), the nuclear power plant will be equipped with four units of 700-mw PHWRs. The nuclear power station is taking up on 550 ha of land at Gorakhpur, in Faridabad district of Haryana.
Also read : KSB Expects To Start Delivery On NPCIL Order By April 2022
Performance in 2021
KSB reported a 10 per cent growth in order inflow in the January-June period of 2021. (KSB’s accounting year ends on December 31. Hence, this period represents the first half (H1) of its accounting year.) KSB also said that during H1, it received “good orders” from Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) for flue-gas desulphurization (FGD) pumps, without specifying the order volume or value. The company also said that the ground-breaking ceremony for the Sinnar manufacturing plant expansion was conducted on June 23, 2021. Located in Nashik district of Maharashtra, the plant manufactures irrigation pumps.
(Featured photograph shows aerial view of KSB’s energy pumps manufacturing plant at Shirwal, Pune district, Maharashtra)