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Alstom S.A.'s chief, Mr Patrick Kron, said the nuclear incident in Japan could pose questions on the choice of electricity made by countries, but envisages continued demand in India and China for nuclear power in the long run.
The company has a presence across all the segments of electricity generation equipment — thermal, hydro, nuclear and renewables.
It is therefore “adequately hedged” in terms of being able to respond to demand, whatever shape it takes in terms of fuel choices, the Chairman and CEO of the €10.4-billion French power engineering and train manufacturer said in an interaction here.
Across much of Europe and the US, the nuclear incident playing out at Japan's earthquake-hit Fukushima Daiichi station has provided opponents of nuclear power with their strongest arguments since the Chernobyl meltdown.
Currently, one out of every three nuclear plants in the world runs on turbines supplied by Alstom, which is the third-largest power-equipment maker globally after General Electric of the US and Germany's Siemens.
In India, Alstom is part of a three-way joint venture involving state-owned atomic generator Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd to make large sized turbines for upcoming nuclear projects. Mr Kron said the venture was on track and gearing up to execute orders. It has already got an order to build two turbine generators with a capacity of 700 MW each that will be installed at Kalpakkam.
Metro rail projects
Mr Kron said the firm is also open to making acquisitions in India. Apart from new locomotive projects and refurbishment orders from the Indian Railways, the company is strongly focussed on metro rail projects across India, he said.
Alstom has already bagged a Rs 1,471-crore contract to design, manufacture and commission coaches for the Chennai Metro rail project and is building a manufacturing unit there to supply coaches. “The Chennai manufacturing facility would be completed by early 2013,” Mr Kron said. He also hinted at plans to set up a wind power equipment manufacturing facility in India.
Having started out in India way back in 1911, Alstom has marked the completion of 100 years in India this year and Mr Kron's visit here is to commemorate the landmark. “We have competition, we have opportunities… in the next 100 years we are going to generate more opportunities than the previous 100 years.”
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