Christmas comes early for Danish Turbine Giant Vestas with largest order ever in India

Danish Wind Turbine manufacturer, Vestas Wind Systems, has won its largest order in India for commissioning a 252 MW Engineering, Procurement, and Construction(EPC) Project.

The order was put in place by Vivid Solaire Energy, a subsidiary of Engie, which was awarded as a part of national level wind auctions organized by the Government’s nodal agency SECI.

The project is in Thattaparai in Tuticorin district in the Tamil Nadu state and includes delivery, installation, and commissioning of 126 V120-2.0 MW turbines, as well as the project’s civil and electrical work.

“This project is particularly significant for us because it brings ENGIE’s renewable energy generation capacities in India to 1 GW, a major milestone that proves our commitment, both to India and to the development of low-carbon energy sources. We have a long history of working with Vestas in multiple geographies, and remain confident that Vestas will be a strong, reliable and value-additive partner in our journey towards achieving our renewables ambitions in India”, said Malcolm Wrigley, Country Manager, Engie India.

Vestas will start its Turbine delivery in the second quarter of 2019, and the commissioning of the project is expected by the end of the fourth quarter of 2019, which means by 2020 March.

“With this EPC project in India, we underline the broad range of capabilities Vestas can offer to our customers in the Indian market. Our extensive EPC project management experience and ability to develop site-specific solutions to compete in auctions have been key factors in securing this order”, said Clive Turton, President of Vestas Asia Pacific.

The energy production from the wind park in Tamil Nadu will offset about 724,000 tons of CO2 per year. The energy produced will be equivalent to 5.88 million urban Indian households. Vestas is a market leader with 97 GW of wind turbines installed in 9 countries, while Engie’s portfolio includes 810 MWp of solar PV and 280 MW wind in India.

India’s Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) earlier this year had announced the country’s medium and long-term targets for offshore wind capacity, aiming for 5GW by 2022 and as much as 30GW by 2030.

The Indian government plans to auction 20 gigawatts of onshore wind energy capacity by March 2020, giving project developers a time period of two years to commission these projects. The government will auction 5 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity before March 2019, and developers will have at least three years to complete the projects.

But recent news from Gujarat delaying land transfers can create impediments for this task. 2018 has been a sobering year for renewables all across the board-with Tariff dropping to below Rs 3 levels and general market scare after GST, Safeguard Duty, and tariff Caps. We hope that 2019 will see Wind energy finally taking off after a tumultuous ride this year.

Picture Credit: Vestas Wind Systems