This first 19.5 MW wind energy project forms part of the GMDC’s larger roadmap to develop 100 MW of wind power capacity. Speaking on the project, the GMDC spokesperson said: “Diversification into wind energy is a key strategic initiative for the GMDC, in pursuit of energy security and reduction in GHG emissions. As a responsible corporate citizen in the energy sector, we feel it is our duty to harness green energy and to help save the world from global warming.”
The GMDC spokesperson further added, “We entrusted Suzlon for our maiden wind energy project and are pleased that the project has been completed much ahead of its schedule. We acknowledge Suzlon’s efficient execution capabilities and the close collaborative approach.”
Speaking on the project, Mr. I. C. Mangal, President, India Business – Suzlon, said: “GMDC is one of the leading PSU’s in Gujarat. We take pride in our association with the GMDC and look forward to strengthening this relationship. We also appreciate the support and the cooperation from the GMDC officials in our endeavor to deliver the project ahead of its schedule.”
Gujarat’s visionary state leadership has been actively engaged in supporting the development of renewable energy in the state, acknowledging the importance of achieving energy security and also mitigating the threat of global warming. The state has taken visionary leadership in encouraging state PSUs to harness the renewable energy and in response, most of the leading PSUs including GACL, GSPC, GSFC, GNFC, GSEC among others, have set-up wind power projects in the state. GMDC has now joined the league and has plans to invest in a 100 MW wind energy project in the future.
Suzlon has been the No. 1 player in Gujarat’s wind power sector for many years and in FY2008-09 consolidated its market share to 68%. Suzlon’s Kutch wind park in Gujarat is amongst the largest in the world with a current installed base of over 775MW and growing. Suzlon has also contributed significantly to the state by way of sizable direct and indirect employment generation, and a number of CSR initiatives to help create a sustainable livelihood & lifestyle for local communities.
The company began its journey from this very state in 1995 and has its registered office in Ahmedabad. Suzlon has substantial footprint across the state with a network of offices, manufacturing and testing facilities, in addition to the 876 MW of wind power capacity installed in wind farms across the state.
Suzlon Energy Completes Blade Retrofitting Program
Suzlon Energy Ltd., India’s biggest maker of wind-turbine generators, said it completed a global blade retrofit program after spending about $100 million.
The work ended in September, the company said in a statement late yesterday. Suzlon offered to retrofit 417 sets of blades after cracks were discovered in some of them in the U.S. in 2007. The cracked blades were replaced and others sold to customers globally were strengthened, according to a presentation on the company’s Web site.
Completion of the repairs may help Suzlon get more orders in the U.S., where President Barack Obama has set a goal of getting 25 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2025. Spain’s Gamesa Corp. Tecnologica SA and Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp. overtook General Electric Co. in wind-turbine installations in the U.S. during the second quarter, according to a July 28 report by the Washington-based American Wind Energy Association.
Total U.S. wind power capacity rose 4.3 percent in the second quarter to 29,440 megawatts, or enough to supply about 8.5 million homes and cut annual carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel plants by 54 million tons, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
Suzlon may sell equipment capable of generating as much as 2,500 megawatts of electricity in the year ending March 31, Sumant Sinha, chief operating officer, said on Aug. 24. It sold 2,790 megawatts of equipment a year earlier.
