TAKRAF India recently completed the inauguration of the fourth order (the first of two machines) for the major revamp of Special Mining Equipment (SME) for NLC India Limited (NLCIL), one of India’s largest power producers.
In July 2024, TAKRAF India was awarded the contract for major refurbishment of two 700 L bucketwheel excavators (BWEs) for two mines.
The BWE 700, a SME originally commissioned at NLCIL in 1990 for overburden and lignite removal, was successfully recommissioned by TAKRAF India on September 30, 2025. This marks the first major revamp for NLCIL for any 700 litre BWE.
NLCIL operates three open-pit mines with a total installed capacity of 28.5 Mt/y at Neyveli, Tamilnadu, India.
This 700-litre BWE has completed over 160,000 working hours during its 34-year working life cycle. To extend its operational life, NLCIL decided to undergo a major refurbishment, replacing all critical structural and mechanical components. TAKRAF India was entrusted with the work, which was scheduled to take 12 months from engineering to commissioning.
The upgrade incorporated advanced technologies, such as structural stability checks, upgrade of drive power ratings, replacement of age old obsolete components with latest technology adapted components, the introduction of a PLC, VVVF drives, an HMI, an AFDQS (automatic fire detection and quenching system) and wireless systems and cloud based remote monitoring systems. These upgrades are following design & manufacturing safety norms and increase the machine’s life by about 15 years.
Shri Prasanna Kumar Motupalli, Chairman and Managing Director of NLCIL, recommissioned the revamped BWE 1573 in the presence of Dr Suresh Chandra Suman, Director of Mines; Shri. M. Venkatachalam, Director of Power; Thiru. Appakannu Govindarajan, Chief Vigilance Officer; and TAKRAF India Managing Directors, Gopal Kalyanakrishnan and Rajagopalan Ramanathan, alongside NLCIL and TAKRAF India employees.
“The fourth consecutive order from NLCIL highlights the strength of TAKRAF India’s collaboration with TAKRAF Germany and our dedication to providing customised, project-specific solutions through effective teamwork,” Ramanathan said.
We are honoured by the trust placed in us and look forward to supporting our client’s operations with reliable, high-performance equipment that stands up to the demands of daily mining activities.
