Company bullish over infrastructure development in the country.
Alstom India has launched a comprehensive plan to consolidate its position in the country, especially after the 12th Five-Year Plan has projected an investment requirement of $1 trillion in the infrastructure sector alone. The Indian subsidiary of Paris-headquartered Alstom Group, which is a global leader in power generation, transmission and rail infrastructure, has decided to extensively focus on the power sector including renewable and thermal power and urban transportation like metro and high-speed trains.
Alstom India, undeterred by losing out NTPC’s Rs 8,000-crore contract for the supply nine units of 800-Mw steam turbine and generator units to BGR Energy during a recent bidding process, plans to go back to the drawing board to rework its strategy thereby relook at the new benchmark in this sector. The company is geared up to participate in the bidding for all types of turbines both super critical and non-super critical during the 12th Plan.
Alstom India said the country was a “happening story”, given the “visible movement” in the infrastructure sector. “More and more power is being added to the grid and host of infrastructure projects being launched,” pointed out Sunand Sharma, its country president. “Our company is exploring opportunities in the field of power that includes thermal comprising gas, steam, nuclear, service and power automation and controls and renewable power, including hydro, wind and other renewables,” he told Business Standard. Alstom India has full capabilities in engineering, manufacturing, project management and supply of power generation equipment.
As far as hydro is concerned, Sharma said the firm had so far signed contracts for hydro turbines covering 10,923 Mw and generators covering 12,850 MVA. Out of this, approximately 6,000 Mw are in commercial operation. More recently, Alstom got three contracts for hydropower development in India— of 293 Mw capacity.
Alstom has almost one-third share in the Indian hydro market. It is currently in the process of executing projects for a total of 4874 Mw.
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Alstom is providing power generation equipment for the 2,000 Mw Subansiri Hydro Power Project located in the Northeastern states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Further, the company is also keen to participate in the Centre’s National Solar Mission. Alstom has plans to build power towers for solar energy.
Sharma said the global acquisition of the transmission business of Areva India T&D to form a new sector -- Alstom Grid -- was quite crucial for the company to consolidate its position in this vibrant sector. However, in India, the procedural formalities for the formal integration of Areva T with Alstom are still under progress. “With this acquisition,” Sharma noted, “Alstom gained leadership in 765-Kv projects in India. We have made significant contribution to HVDC in the country. The transmission networks manage 70 per cent of India’s power flows.”
According to Sharma, the contract Alstom in India bagged for Chennai metro project has set a new benchmark in this sector. “We are equipped to take up similar projects being proposed in other parts of India.”
Globally, 1928-founded Alstom enjoys the leadership position in the high- and very-high-speed train sector. In India, the strategic role that Alstom Transport plays has helped fuel a new phase of development for the company in the sector. Given the government’s inclination to set up the National High-Speed Rail Authority for implementing and monitoring the country's high-speed rail projects, Sharma says Alstom has adequate expertise. It has implemented similar projects in various countries.
“We are talking about trains running with over 300 km per hour. Just to tell you an example, with high-speed trains, Mumbai-Nagpur can be covered in two hours. However, in India exhaustive planning is needed to introduce high speed trains and the company is prepared to take up projects when offered,” he noted. The company has manufacturing unit for the transport business in Coimbatore and upcoming manufacturing facility at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh.
Sharma declined to share any numbers.