BHEL wins Rs774-crore ONGC contract for onshore drilling rigs

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has secured a Rs774-crore contract for supply of onshore drilling rigs from Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC).

The order envisages manufacture and supply of 6 state-of-the-art 2000 HP onshore drilling rigs with AC drives. ''The order is a testimony to the customer's confidence in BHEL's capabilities and technological excellence,'' BHEL said in a release today.

''ONGC has gone in for acquisition of new rigs after a gap of over 18 years and has opted for rigs with high efficiency AC drives in line with the latest trends worldwide,'' BHEL said, adding, ''Hitherto, ONGC has procured rigs with AC SCR technology where the draw works and mud pumps, etc are powered with DC drives. Rig operation with AC drives is more efficient than DC drives due to the high power factor of AC motors.''

BHEL has established dedicated facilities for manufacture, refurbishment and upgradation of onshore drilling rigs/ equipment at its Hyderabad plant, while the related electric equipment will be manufactured at the company's Bhopal plant.

BHEL is the sole and leading manufacturer of inland drilling rigs in the country, having supplied 84 rigs so far. Of these, 71 rigs have been supplied to ONGC and 13 to Oil India Limited (OIL). BHEL has also successfully carried out refurbishment and upgradation of 33 onshore drilling rigs belonging to ONGC. The company is currently in the process of completing refurbishment and upgradation work of 7 more rigs of ONGC, it said.

BHEL is a global major in the manufacture and supply of products and systems to core sectors such as power, transportation and defence as also industries like metallurgical, petrochemicals, oil exploration, refinery, fertilisers, paper, cement, etc.