The Indian wind industry is headed for a tepid close to the year 2013-14. Capacity additions in the year may not exceed 1,700 MW — the same as last year. Nor is there much hope for 2014-15, as the wind season begins in early summer and with the elections round the corner, not much action is expected to take place.

As is typical in India, everybody speaks of the ‘long term future’ of the wind industry in the country, what with the recently-launched National Mission on Wind.

Spanish wind turbine major Gamesa seems to have done well in this dull environment, going by the figures provided by the company.

Till December 2013, Gamesa had sold wind turbines worth 145 MW, but since 455 MW are under ‘advance stages of implementation’ — activity typically picks up in the last quarter of the year — the company expects to close the year with 600 MW of sales compared with 115 MW in 2012-13.

Gamesa India’s Chairman and Managing Director Ramesh Kymal told Business Line that the company expects sales of 800 MW in 2014-15, given that it has under its control sufficient land to install 4,000 MW more.

“We do not own all the land, but we have agreements in place that give us rights to put up projects,” Kymal said, adding that the lands are in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

The company has also stepped up indigenisation to 85 per cent of its 2 MW turbine launched two years ago. All components, except control panels and brake systems, are bought locally.

This localisation, Kymal said, does not give Gamesa an immediate cost advantage, but would serve the company well in the long run.

Gamesa’s production has just moved from a manufacturing unit north of Chennai to a recently-built factory south of the city in the village of Mamandur. There is scope to develop a vendor park near the new location. Gamesa, one of the top five wind turbine manufacturers in the world, has invested Rs 1,500 crore in India in the last four years it has been here.

 

ramesh.m@thehindu.co.in

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