Wind turbine maker Gamesa Renewable Private Ltd. is setting up a Rs.700 crore green field integrated facility at Nellore in Andhra Pradesh for manufacturing turbine compenents, according to a top company official.
Talking to The Hindu , Ramesh Kymal, Gamesa India Chairman and Managing Director, said: “The plant will come up in phases. The investment in the first phase is Rs.300 crore to Rs.350 crore and it will be equal amount in the next phase. Apart from manufacturing blades, nacelles and generators, we will explore the possibility of exporting it through Krishnapatnam Port.”
The plant, spread over 150 acres at IFFCO Kisan SEZ, can manufacture blades, nacelles, generators and component assemblies for wind turbines. It will increase the annual production capacity of Gamesa by 300 MW. Currently, the company has an installed base of 3,000 MW of wind projects.
According to Mr. Kymal, phase-I of the project will include setting up of integrated blade manufacturing facility for the G114-2.0 MW wind turbine, which will commence operations on August 15, 2016.
Good potential
“We wanted to put the plant in the south of Vindhyas. We see a good potential for wind power in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh. While the installation for wind turbines are coming down in traditional states such as Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, new states such as Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka will have more installations. However, we can’t write off Tamil Nadu and Gujarat,” he said.
Market share
The country’s leading wind turbine manufacturer, which has a market share of 29 per cent, has been maintaining its premier position for the second time in a row. During 2015-16, the company commissioned wind power projects of 1,003 MW against 657 MW in the year-ago period. For the current year, it has an order book position of 750 MW for wind turbines and 150 MW for solar projects.
Asked whether they would bid for solar projects, he said: “Market will witness shake up. Prices are not sustainable. Solar industry has to mature. There are unknown problems. Still we are importing components duty-free. Though we have capability, we are not going to invest.”
Mr. Kymal said that 3,000 MW to 5,000 MW capacity could be added in Tamil Nadu alone by replacing older machines of lower capacity with newer ones. He said a right policy needs to be in place, so that Independent Power Producers can do business with ease.
