14% import duty on power equipment gets Heavy Industries Ministry support

24 Jan 2012 Evaluate

The Heavy Industries Ministry has come in support of the domestic power equipment producers and has advocated a 14 per cent import duty on power generation equipment for the projects above 1,000 MW. The Heavy Industries Minister, Praful Patel, said, “Such a duty will provide a level playing field to domestic companies such as BHEL and L&T, which have significant disadvantage.” The move is primarily aimed at imports from China.

At present, equipment for power projects with capacity over 1,000 MW attract marginal duty, making the import cheaper. To protect their interests and provide them level playing field, domestic players led by Bhel and L&T have been demanding imposition of 14 percent duty on import of electrical equipment as a cushion against local taxes.

If the import duty is imposed, it will provide level playing field to Indian power equipment manufacturers to take on increasing penetration of international suppliers here. “Companies such as Bhel and L&T are at a specific disadvantage. Imports should not be disallowed but there is a case for (the Indian) power industry to have a level-playing field,” Patel said. It was reported that the Power Ministry had already circulated a Cabinet note in this regard. Power generation equipment makers having a manufacturing base in India stand to benefit from such a move.

Further, the Heavy Industries Ministry is pushing hard to ensure that the award of equipment contracts by developers of large power projects is done mandatorily through a bidding process, rather than the current practice of developers placing orders directly on the vendors of their choice. The bids for equipment supply for power projects are being rejigged, which will allow domestic gear makers to participate in the procedure. The ministry has also called for procurement model for equipment for ultra mega power projects (UMPP) of 4,000 MW capacity to involve international competitive bidding (ICB).

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