Sensing immense potential in renewable energy in India, Spain?s Gamesa group, one of the top three wind turbine/blade manufacturers in the world, has proposed to set up three different plants ? wind blades, Nacelles (structure atop of wind turbine towers which holds the electricity generating components) and wind turbine towers apart from making inverters for the large solar PV industry in India with an estimated investment of Rs 1,500 crore at its upcoming facility near Chennai.
Speaking to FE, Ramesh Kymal, chairman and managing director, Gamesa Wind Turbines, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Gamesa group, said, ?We are starting with wind turbines with an initial capacity of 200 mw to be scaled upto 1,000 mw in next two years. We have received orders for nearly 100 mw (both domestic and abroad) so far and hope to end the financial year with 200 mw and expect to do 650 mw next financial year.? Similarly, the company will start making blades for large size wind farms (2 mw) during earlier period next year (2011) and followed with Nacelle, wind towers in the months to come. ?Towards this, we are setting up three different plants ? one each for blades, Nacelles, towers ? apart from manufacturing inverters for the solar PV industry in India at our existing facility near here.?
Though solar power generation in India at its nascent stage, energy through wind is expected to pick up sharply as more and more players are entering this segment. ?We expect annual generation of power through wind to go up from 1,000 mw now to 5,000 mw soon which gives us a huge opportunity to play in India.?
Similarly, being the largest manufacturer of inverters for solar PV industry in the world, Gamesa believes that it is better positioned to serve the industry as and when the demand for inverters pick up in India, Kymal pointed out. To a question, he said, ?Apart from meeting the domestic demand, the company will also look at exporting turbines/blades to the European and other neighbouring countries from its Chennai facility. ?We are in talks with a few players and hope to export 20% of our initial capacity to overseas markets in the first year,? he said further. ?We want to become an end-to-end player in the renewable energy sector in India and have plans to invest Rs 1,500 crore in phases,? he added. As part of this initiative, Gamesa Wind Turbines will be raising euro 11 million from International Finance Corporation for its euro 70 million wind turbine project, specially suited for Indian grid and wind conditions. The turbines assembled at Chennai facility would be exported and sold domestically as well as used in local wind farms developed by the company.