... Alstom, the global power systems manufacturer and service provider and Bharat Forge Ltd (BFL), a global leader in manufacturing and metal forming, today laid the foundation stone for their new power equipment manufacturing plant at Mundra in Coastal Gujarat. This follows their agreement in November 2008 to set up a joint venture (JV) for power plant equipment manufacturing.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Shri. Narendra Modi, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Gujarat, laid the foundation stone and welcomed the two global manufacturing giants to Gujarat and assured full State Government support for the national venture. He was accompanied by Shri. Saurabh Patel, Hon'ble Minister of State, Finance & Energy, Government of Gujarat.
To begin with, the plant will manufacture 300 - 800 MW subcritical and supercritical equipments with an annual capacity of 5000 MW. In the future, the JV will also explore possibilities of manufacturing turbines and generators for gas - based plants and nuclear applications.
Speaking on the occasion, B N Kalyani, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Forge Ltd., said, “We are delighted to be partnering with Alstom – a global leader in high technology power equipment manufacturing. Together, we are committed to deliver advanced class power equipment to support a robust expansion of India's power sector, critical for double digit growth of the economy.”
The arrangement between Alstom and Bharat Forge involves setting up of two JV companies – one for manufacturing of steam turbine and generators and the other for manufacturing of all the auxiliaries. The project will provide employment opportunities to several thousand people thereby, richly contributing to the State and national economy and debottlenecking India's march towards 'Power for All'.
Guy Chardon, Senior Vice President, Alstom Power Thermal Products, said, “ The Alstom Bharat Forge partnership paves the way for making India a hub for advanced power equipment manufacturing. Both organisations are committed to use their trans - continental strengths and world - class capabilities to deliver an array of advanced class generating equipment in sub and supercritical ranges in India, setting global benchmarks in reliability and efficiency.”
Bharat Forge Limited (BFL), the Pune based Indian multinational is a technology - driven global leader in metal forming having trans - continental presence on more than a dozen manufacturing locations, serving several sectors including automobile, power, railways, shipping, oil and gas, aerospace, etc. Part of Kalyani Group – a US $ 2.4 bn conglomerate with 10,000 global work force; BFL today has the largest repository of metallurgical knowledge in the region and offers complete service supply capability to its geographically dispersed marquee customers from concept to testing and validation. BFL is on the threshold of a breakout growth in non-automotive space and has embarked on an elaborate strategy to register its strong presence, inter alia, in power sector.
Bharat Forge is currently spearheading a major up scaling of its capacity in forging, casting, fabrication, machining and assembly to launch its multi-sectoral growth plans including power, oil and gas, railways and marine transport, aviation and mining. As a part of this, a 4000 ton press has already been commissioned at Pune while a 14000 ton press, the largest in this part of the globe, to manufacture heavy forgings, including rotors and shafts for nuclear power plants, is on the drawing board and will be commissioned in the beginning of the year 2013.
Alstom is a global leader in the world of power generation and rail infrastructure and sets the benchmark for innovative and environmentally friendly technologies. Alstom builds the fastest train and the highest capacity automated metro in the world, and provides turnkey integrated power plant solutions and associated services for a wide variety of energy sources, including hydro, nuclear, gas, coal and wind. The Group employs 81,500 people in 70 countries, and had orders of €24,6 billion in 2008/09.
