Gamesa to develop two wind farms in Tamil Nadu

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"We are setting up an 85-MW wind farm in Theni and 50-MW farm in Coimbatore. We will install our windmills in these farms on behalf of other investors," Ramesh Kymal, chairman and managing director of the Spanish group's Indian subsidiary Gamesa Wind Turbines, told reporters here Tuesday.

According to him, the Theni farm will have around 100 windmills and the Coimbatore farm around 60 units.

"The turnkey cost of installing a windmill (cost of machine and erection costs) will be around Rs.6.5 crore," Kymal said.

Gorge Calvet Spinatsch, chairman of the Spanish group, said: "Development of wind farms is a key component of our business globally. But we will not be the utility generating the power."

According to Kymal, Gamesa's Rs.200-crore Indian plant near here has an annual capacity to make turbines for 500 MW, with each turbine of 850 kilowatt (kW) capacity.

The plant will be making nacelle - that houses the gear box and drive train - and the mast while turbines will be imported from Spain initially. Later, Gamesa will localise the components in a phased manner.

According to Kymal, the company has started exporting to Sri Lanka.

Queried about competition making MW class machines in India when Gamesa is still in kW stage, Kymal said: "Bigger need not be better in Indian conditions. The bigger machines should have proper spares support during the life time of the windmill. Our price per kW is competitive when compared to competition."