Whatever be the reason, the state of Tamil Nadu has a an unenviable infrastructure when it comes to wind power. While it might not strictly be the responsibility of the OEM to build this infrastructure (it is similar to asking a car manufacturer to build and maintain roads), in India wind turbine OEMs have been more than pureplay OEMs and have been involved in turnkey solutions.
Such involvement and the obvious vested interest compels them to see their role as a key support provider all along the value chain. Thus, it was not surprising for me to read a report on how Gamesa, Spain’s biggest wind-turbine maker, planned to invest 3 billion rupees ($60 million) in power transmission infrastructure in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state, a company official said.
Gamesa, which is the third-biggest supplier of turbines in India, will build a 400-kilovolt substation that will help distribute 750 MW of power, Ramesh Kymal, head of its India unit, said in a March 2012 interview.
It’s been a few months since March, and likely Gamesa has moved ahead on this. One will likely see more OEMs considering such investments as well.
