Suzlon Completes ONGC Wind Turbine Project in Gujarat

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Suzlon Energy Limited (BOM:532667) (Pune), the world's fifth largest wind power supplier, has handed over a completed 51-megawatt (MW) wind turbine project to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (Dehradun). The installation in Moti Sindholi in the Kutch district of Gujarat started operations last week. The project consists of 34 units of 1.5-MW turbines manufactured by Suzlon. Gujarat has a coastline of 1,600 kilometers, which is capable of generating 17,000 MW of wind energy. In India, the state of Gujarat leads in power generation through wind turbine projects. The current installed capacity in Gujarat is around 1300 MW, 700 MW of which has been installed by Suzlon.

The wind turbine power plant is a maiden initiative by ONGC to harness the potential of non-conventional, low cost power resources. This plant will work as a captive power generation unit, providing relatively low cost power to ONGC's primary centers in Ankleshwar, Ahmedabad, Mehasana and Vadodara, all in Gujarat. ONGC has plans to set up a similar wind turbine power plant in Karnataka.

Suzlon Energy has been aggressively tapping the global wind energy market. According to the BTM Consult ApS world market update in 2007, Suzlon held a 10.5% market share globally. According to the report published by Suzlon, in May 2008, the company had $4.3 billion of outstanding orders. Suzlon has 13 manufacturing facilities globally, with Asia emerging as the manufacturing hub. The company has seven plants in India and other plants in Belgium, China and the U.S. With 13,000 employees in 20 countries, the company has been actively exploring emerging markets and economies.

Suzlon Energy A/S (Aarhus, Denmark), the international sales branch of Suzlon Energy Limited, recently sealed a contract with Martifer to install wind turbines in Romania and Portugal. This is Suzlon's first contract in Romania and the first with Martifer. Martifer Group (Oliveira de Frades, Portugal) is a leading European conglomerate with interests in advanced fuel, electricity generation, energy equipment and construction. The contract includes the commissioning of 29 units turbines in Romania. Martifer has also finalized a contract for nine 2.1-MW turbines in Portugal with Suzlon. For related news item see article from September 16, 2008 -- Turbine Manufacturer Suzlon's Stake in REpower Rises to Nearly 90%.

The company has also finalized the supply of 42 turbines with a generating capacity of 2.1 MW with Tierra Energy (Austin, Texas) for projects in Wyoming and Texas. Suzlon has entered the Chinese market with five contracts and an installed capacity of 233.75 MW. Ayen Enerji Company of Turkey has also signed a deal for a 31.5-MW project. EDF Energies Nouvelles (Paris) has finalized a contract with Suzlon to double the wind energy project capacity in Brazil. Brazil is currently exploring the potential of wind turbine energy -- the current installed capacity in this country is around 200 MW. The global wind power industry is expected to grow at an average rate of 24% over the next five years.

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