Foreign firms look to make India global wind turbine export hub

The Print, 30 July, 2019, 12:00 am

The wind turbine industry has been struggling for orders after Modi government shifted to auctions in 2017 as the preferred method to install wind projects.

New Delhi: Global wind turbine makers are expanding manufacturing capacity in India to boost exports even as the country’s domestic industry faces headwinds.

India is well placed to be a manufacturing center for the wind industry and is emerging as an important part of the global supply chain, according to Ben Backwell, the chief executive of industry body Global Wind Energy Council. “Production cost in India is very competitive and engineering is very strong,” he said by phone. “They can beat anybody.”

Danish wind turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems A/S announced earlier this month that it will set up a new nacelle and hub assembly factory in India that will be operational by next year. The company hopes to increase “export capabilities from India with the aim of making it a global renewable energy manufacturing hub.”