India's Bharat Electronics Gains Entry Into The Nuclear Power Equipment Business

India's state-run defense electronics manufacturer, Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) has bagged a nuclear power instrumentation project for the Nuclear Power Corporation of India. Mr. Anil Kumar, BEL managing director, in an exclusive interview with DefenseWorld.net, said the company was in the process of gaining a foothold in the nuclear power business. “The Kotdwara Unit of BEL is attempting to make an entry into the nuclear business by taking up a developmental project for Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). BEL is also participating in a tender worth INR 800 crore by NPCIL for Control Centre & Instrumentation Product (C&I) for upcoming 4 nuclear power plants,” Kumar told defenseworld.net. “Currently, technical evaluation is under progress. Other upcoming opportunities in C&I are also being addressed by BEL to gain a foothold in the nuclear business,” he said. In 2011, BEL eyed a tender for nuclear power instrumentation for supplying control devices for eight N-power plants that are proposed to be built for an estimated at Rs 500-700 crore. Nuclear power-instrumentation is one of the areas of growth in future market opportunity identified by consulting firm KPMG, appointed by BEL. This significant restructuring comes at a time when BEL is commencing work on multiple areas such as solar energy, airborne radars and C4I systems.