20 Jun 2012 Hindustan Times (Chandigarh)
Bahadurjeet Singh

Boiler leakage, thermal unit shut yet again
Unit number 1 of Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant here has been shut down due to boiler leakage yet again. This is for the fourth time in the past 16 days that boiler leakage has forced the closure of the unit.

The 210-MW unit was on annual maintenance for 38 days since April 29. The unit was synchronised on June 3, four days ahead of schedule. The thermal plant management had claimed a saving of Rs 8 crore due to early synchronisation and termed it as a landmark achievement.
But the very next day, the unit had to be closed down due to boiler leakage. The problem was rectified on June 7, but before full load could be achieved, another boiler leakage was detected and the unit was shut down again. It had to be closed THIS IS THE FOURTH TIME IN 16 DAYS THAT LEAKAGE HAS FORCED THE CLOSURE OF THE 210-MW UNIT OF RUPNAGAR PLANT yet again due to boiler leakage on June 17.

Repeated leakages have put a question mark on the quality of maintenance of the unit. The closure of the unit has forced Powercom to impose more power cuts in the state, which is already facing an acute shortage of power.

Thermal plant chief engineer K Lall said they were trying to ascertain why the boiler was leaking repeatedly. “The unit is 28 years old and there are thousands of joints in it. The leakage took place at weak points. We will fix the problem within a week,” he said.