State-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) on Monday said it has commissioned a 520-mw coal-based thermal power unit in Andhra Pradesh.

"The unit has been commissioned at the 2x520 mw Vizag Thermal Power Project of Hinduja National Power Company Limited (HNPCL), Visakhapatnam," the company said in a statement. "Significantly, in Visakhapatnam district, four 500 mw thermal sets supplied and executed by BHEL are already in successful operation at Simhadri Super Thermal Power Station of NTPC," it said.

"The 2x520 mw Vizag thermal power project is being executed by BHEL on engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) basis," it added. This project is located on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. "Notably, this project uses single flow condenser and sea water as main cooling water," it said.

The project was severely affected by the Hudhud cyclone in 2014 while it was under construction. The restoration was carried out by BHEL on war-footing and the first unit has been commissioned successfully. "The second unit of this project is also in an advanced stage of completion," it said. Recently, BHEL has secured prestigious orders for setting up two supercritical thermal power projects involving one unit each of the country's highest rating 800 mw sets, in Andhra Pradesh.

"The projects are 1x800 MW Dr Narla Tata Rao Thermal Power Station (Dr NTTPS) Stage-V of Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation Ltd (APGENCO) and 1x800 MW Sri Damodaram Sanjeevaiah Thermal Power Station (SDSTPS) Stage-II, popularly known as Krishnapatnam Supercritical Thermal Power Project, of Andhra Pradesh Power Development Company Ltd. (APPDCL)," it said. BHEL has already commissioned 5,010 MW of power plants in the utility sector during 2015-16 fiscal and is on track to achieve the target set by the government for the year.