Delay or disruptions in power supply can play havoc with the production plan of an industrial enterprise. However, if the enterprise can get power from an alternate source to deal with the emergency, it can reduce its potential production loss.
But, the emergency power supply business is yet to evolve in India. The sector is dominated by small players who operate locally. Things seem to be changing, though, with the government planning policy moves to increase the share of manufacturing in the national GDP.
UK-based Aggreko plc, a global player in the emergency power solution space, is betting big on the Indian market. The company entered the Indian market in 2009 and is expanding its reach. It recently opened a second depot in Manesar, Haryana, after Pune and plans to open a third depot over the next couple of months in Chennai to service the south Indian market. More depots will be opened in the coming years.
?We have the capacity to supply 120 MW of emergency power in India. We plan to open more depots in the coming years. We will target companies from sectors like mining, drilling and manufacturing, shipping and IT,? Abid Ahmed, Aggreko’s country head, said.
?We rent out generators and provide support to the client in the form of servicing and maintenance. Fuel is arranged by the client?, he added. The company has supplied emergency power to enterprises like Bina oil refinery and Hindustan Biofuels Ltd.
?We supplied 53 MW power to the Bina refinery for six months during November-April 20, 2011, pending commissioning of the captive power plant. Because of that, the developer was able to start refinery operations four months ahead of the schedule?, Ahmed told FE.
?Bharat-Oman Refinery Ltd, the joint venture which has set up the Bina project, was skeptical of our capability to supply such a big quantum of emergency power. But we were able to meet their expectations. It has again requisitioned emergency power of 21 MW from us,? he added.
?We also supplied 12 MW emergency power to HPCL Biofuels, which runs facilities in Bihar to produces ethanol from molasses,? Ahmed said. HPCL Biofuels is a subsidiary of Hindustan Petroleum. ?We have also supplied 11 MW power to Amara Raja Batteries in Tamil Nadu and 7 MW to Polyplex in Uttarakhand,? he added.
Ahmed said: ?Globally, Aggreko has the capacity to supply 8,000 MW in emergency power. The same machines are used across the world. All its generators are assembled in Aggreko’s facility in the UK.?