Vestas to ship wind generators to Canada

Leading wind energy player Vestas RRB India (Vestas RRB) will export Wind Energy Generator (WEG) turbines to Canada, marking its expansion into the North American wind energy market.

Vestas RRB currently exports its WEGs to Sweden. Sarvesh Kumar, deputy managing director, Vestas RRB India said the company had plans to tap the export market in the coming years, and was in the process of establishing its footprint in the rapidly evolving Canadian market.

"With total wind power capacity of 1,451 mw by the end of 2006, Canada is emerging as a leading potential market for wind power generation," Jean-Pierre Hamel, consul & trade commissioner of Canada, said. "New entrants (like Vestas RRB) in the market will give us the upper hand to tap the potential of wind energy," he added.

The Canadian government have taken steps to facilitate wind energy deployment and set targets that will see Canada's installed wind capacity increase at least sixfold over the next eight years, Hamel added.

With operations in India since 1987, Vestas RRB is in an advanced phase of commissioning its new WEG blades and controllers facility established in Chennai.

Merrill Lynch recently invested $55 million in the company to set up new manufacturing facilities at Chennai and New Delhi.