Reflecting the past two years trends, April 2010 also registered a sharp fall in number of project contracts awarded. After registering reasonably good performances in January and February and a stellar performance in March 2010, project contracts business recorded sharp fall in April 2010. The month saw only 50 orders in the domestic sector and four overseas orders bagged by Indian companies.

Of the 50 domestic orders worth Rs 15,428.27 crore, BHEL bagged the largest contract valued at Rs 6,300 crore from the Raichur Power Corporation for designing, engineering, manufacture, supply, erection and commissioning of two units of 800 MW each with supercritical parameters at Yeramarus in Raichur district of Karnataka.

The Electricity and Power Distribution sector therefore remained at the forefront in April with 19 contracts worth Rs 10,960.62 crore. Other than BHEL, Madhucon Projects and McNally Bharat secured major contracts in this sector.

Madhucon Projects secured a Rs 1,198 crore contract for setting up 2x150 MW coastal thermal power project at Tamminapatnam and Mommidi villages in SPSR Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. The Madhya Pradesh Power Generating Company awarded a contract to McNally Bharat Engineering Company worth Rs 827 crore. The scope of work involved design, engineering, manufacturing, supply, erection, testing and commissioning of balance of plant package for extension Units 10 and 11 for 2x250 MW Satpura thermal power station at Sarni in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh.

The Mineral Fuels sector saw two contracts amounting to Rs 1,582.47 crore. Of this, the largest one was clinched by L&T. The company bagged a Rs 1,060 crore order from Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation for survey, engineering, procurement, fabrication and installation of the wellhead platform.

In the Shipping Infrastructure sector, a contract worth Rs 608.39 crore was bagged by Hindustan Construction Company for reconstruction and completion of dry dock and associated North and South Wharves at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.

Some of the other notable contracts of the month include Thermax's Rs 580 crore contract for setting up a gas based combined cycle power plant for an aromatic complex to be set up in Mangalore SEZ. The 72 MW project comprises two gas turbine generators, one extraction-cum-condensing turbine, two fired heat recovery steam generators and two oil/gas fired boilers apart from other auxiliaries. Thermax's scope of work comprises complete engineering, procurement and construction of the power plant including power evacuation, instrumentation, civil works, piping and miscellaneous balance of plant.

The Water Resources Department, Mumbai, gave a Rs 460 crore contract to IVRCL Infrastructures & Projects for engineering, manufacturing, supply, supervision, erection, testing, commissioning and putting into commercial use of pump-turbine, generator-motor and associated equipments for Koyna Left Bank power station of 2x40 MW.