The new plant, located in the Red Hills area near the south-eastern city of Chennai, will produce 850KW machines and has an annual production capacity of 200MW.
The move follows on from a similar decision by Siemens to invest €70m in the construction of an Indian factory by 2012.
Operating under the management of the company’s local affiliate, Gamesa Wind Turbines Pvt. Ltd, the facility kicks in with orders already totalling 60MW, according to Gamesa.
Those orders are for projects both in India itself and in neighbouring Asian countries. Indeed, Gamesa highlights the regional reach of the new facility, saying it "strengthens its grip on the Asian market".
The company’s main regional industrial base remains in China, where it assembles nacelles and manufactures blades, gearboxes and generators at its 1GW Tianjin complex, operating since 2007.
The Chennai plant is Gamesa’s third nacelle facility outside Spain (the company also has a production complex in Pennsylvania, USA). In Spain, Gamesa operates five turbine facilities, together with numerous blade and component factories.
India and its neighbours "undoubtedly comprise a fast growing wind market", said Gamesa’s new president, Jorge Calvet, during the facility’s inauguration ceremony. In India, the company aims to "continually increase its market share", he added.
The country maintains its position as the world’s fifth biggest wind market with 10.93GW online by the end of last year, after installing 1271MW over that year, according to 2009 figures published by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).
Gamesa launches turbine building factory in India
INDIA: Gamesa, Spain's top wind turbine manufacturer, has announced the start-up of its first facility in India, its second in Asia.
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