MNCs Make A Comeback

While the switch to the new tendering system in 2017 broke many India focussed companies like Suzlon and Inox Wind, multinational companies operating in the country like Siemens-Gamesa, Vestas, Enercon and GE Renewable Energy started focusing on exports from where they were getting high-value orders.

With onshore wind energy market making a strong comeback, MNCs have also started getting major orders for local markets. Denmark-based wind turbine manufacturer Vestas, present in India since 1997, has got an order from Hyderabad-based Vibrant Energy for 36 machines of 3.6 MW capacity for a 300 MW wind-solar hybrid power project in India for Amazon. Vestas has a nacelle facility in Chennai and a blade factory in Ahmedabad. Similarly, market leader Siemens Gamesa recently got an order from AM Green Energy, a joint venture of ArcelorMittal-Nippon Steel, to supply wind turbines for a 166 MW project in Andhra Pradesh. Siemens Gamesa has been in India since 2009 and is a leader with 40% market share and installed base of over 8 GW, according to consultancy Wood Mackenzie. It has a blade factory in Nellore (Andhra Pradesh), a nacelle factory in Mamandur (Chennai) and an operations and maintenance centre in Red Hills (Chennai).

GE Vernova builds machines that suit India's low wind speeds. GE installed over 50% of new wind capacity in the country last year, says Deepak Maloo, regional sales leader for GE Vernova's onshore wind business in Asia Pacific. He says GE Vernova will leverage GE's footprint in India.

Enercon, the second-biggest wind turbine maker in Europe behind Vestas, had returned to India a couple of years back after a failed joint venture a decade ago. The company is relying on contract manufacturing for 200 units a year; all are being exported. In the wake of new policy developments, Enercon is looking to tap the Indian market. "We are planning to make a bigger and higher efficiency onshore machine for the Indian market by next year," says Bose of Enercon Wind Energy. Enercon hopes to earn export revenues of ₹800 crore from first year of operations.

Senvion India, formerly part of Germany's RE Power Systems SE and subsidiary of Suzlon (sold later) and now owned by Saudi Arabia-based Alfanar Group, is another WTG major working out plans for India. The company has set up a factory in Trichy for blades and nacelle at Baramati, Maharashtra. "We have ramped up capacity at all facilities to meet our annual target of one GW wind turbine production," says Amit Kansal, MD & CEO, Senvion India. It has orders from companies like Tata Power, JSW Energy, Continuum Green Energy and Fourth Partner Energy.

Chinese Envision, which established a 1,200 MW nacelle and hub assembly plant at Pune in 2018, has ramped up to over three GW, including a new blade manufacturing facility. It recently won a 350 MW order for 106 WTGs for a wind park coming up in Maharashtra. Ranked among top five WTG makers globally, Envision has an order book of over 15 GW. "Nacelles and hubs for the wind turbines (for Maharashtra) will be assembled at Pune, blades at plants in Trichy or Bengaluru while towers will be sourced from manufactures based in Maharashtra," says R.P.V. Prasad, CEO, Envision Wind Power Technologies India.

Indian conglomerates are also joining the fray. Reliance Industries' Mukesh Ambani has lined up plans to develop over 100 GW renewable energy projects in India, which will be mainly solar and wind hybrid projects. Adani Green Energy has nearly three GW wind and wind-solar hybrid projects and is entering WTG manufacturing. In November last year, Mundra Windtech, a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises, set up a 200 metres tall prototype wind turbine with a capacity to produce 5.2 MW electricity and power approximately 4,000 homes at Mundra. Mundra Windtech has already started making nacelle and hubs and will start making blades going forward, say sources.

nacelle

Return of Wind