Company Report: Global Wind Power Ltd
Powered By Imagination, Quality and Innovation Customer satisfaction as one of their main agendas, Global Wind Power Ltd is constantly adopting internationally proven technologies for providing quality wind turbine equipments at a competitive price

Global Wind Power Ltd

Sudhindra Rao, Global Wind Power Ltd

Global Wind Power Ltd

Global Wind Power Ltd

Global Wind Power Ltd

India’s most prized possession is perhaps its geographic situation, being surrounded by seas on three sides. Apart from seasonal winds in summer and monsoon, wind blows uniformly all across the India peninsula during the period from March to August. The first need to tap this unbound potential of wind energy was sensed way back in 1985 when a wind resource assessment program by the Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (IWTMA) was set up across 25 states in India. The results of the assessment were staggering. The potential for wind energy development in India was around 65- 70 giga-watts.

In 2006, Global Wind Power Ltd was founded to cater to this untapped potential of wind energy in India and further enhance the business possibilities by manufacturing wind turbines and aiding in wind power development. GWPL is a subsidiary of one of India’s biggest business conglomerates Reliance ADA Group and over the past two years, this newest entrant into the wind industry has erected around 400 wind turbines across India. Mr. Sudhindra Rao, CEO, GWPL, was more than happy to share the story of how it all began.

From a Gentle Breeze to a Storm

“Back in 2003 we were still considering to whether or not to enter the wind business. In that period many offers were made to us for businesses that were for sale,” recalled Mr. Rao. “A year later, global demand for wind turbines had grown dramatically and by 2006 even faster. About that time we had indeed decided to enter the wind business. However, after intensively searching in the market for suitable take-over candidates, we discovered that nobody was left for sale anymore. But the Reliance ADA Group was lucky to acquire a proven 225 kW wind turbine model from NEPC of India.” Reliance ADA Group is considered to be among India’s top three business houses with interests in fields of communications, energy, natural resources and finance with a market capitalization of around US $43 billion.

So what were the key factors in making GWPL one of the top wind turbine manufacturers? “The first step of course was, as I mentioned, Reliance ADA’s acquiring the proven 225 kW wind turbine model from NEPC. The second step was when we acquired a full license for a Danish 750 kW fixed-speed active stall-regulated Norwin turbine some years later,” explained Mr. Rao. GWPL now has technology transfer pacts with three countries, the Danish 750 kW fixed-speed active stall-regulated Norwin turbine or the GWP47- 750kW, with a rotor diameter of 47 meters, the German pitch controlled variable speed turbine model GWP77- 1500 kW originally designed by Windtec and the more recent GWP82- 2000 kW, a direct-drive wind turbine designed by the Dutch engineering consultancy Lagerwey Wind.

Mr. Rao, however, warned against the notion that GWPL works only with imported equipments. “We import about 30% of the parts like the motors and the gear box mostly from Europe. The major parts such as the towers and the blades are manufactured locally.” GWPL has state of the art manufacturing facilities certified by Indian Standards Organization (ISO) at the coastal city of Silvassa. They have an annual manufacturing capacity of over 600 MW across different turbine classes. Corporate offices are located in the cities of Mumbai and Chennai in India and Arnhem in the Netherlands.

Environmental Concerns Formed the Thrust

“Environmental issues form the main driving factor to the wind turbine industry,” said Mr. Rao. “It accounts for almost 15-20% of growth in this sector.”So was the need for cleaner energy sources one of the reasons for GWPL to be founded? “The government of India has made it mandatory for all distribution utilities to source a minimum quantity of power from renewable sources according to the Renewable Energy Certificate’s Renewable Purchase Obligation. This varies from state to state. Reliance ADA Group, this accounted for 5% or the energy manufactured. That was one of the reasons why we formed GWPL and decided to cater to the expanding market of wind energy equipment. So GWPL started off by manufacturing for that 5% target and now is a full-fledged company with almost 400 employees and an annual turnover of US $ 60 million,” said Mr. Rao with an air of contentment about him.

GWPL has a carefully laid out growth strategy year on year, their main task being customer satisfaction. “It is a company value that forms an integral part of the ISO quality system. Without it, any company would lose its credibility. It is what we sell. It is what keeps us ticking,” added Mr. Rao.

Close ties with partner companies like Unique Global Logistics who aid in shipping equipments in and out of the country has helped GWPL capture the international market. Mr. Rao is currently engaged in expanding GWPL’s footprints on the national map. “We have already captured a large share of the international market with Europe being our top partner countries for trade and exchanges. Now we want to expand internally,” he said, “We are in the process of identifying land-based infrastructure for setting up manufacturing hubs. We have conducted detailed studies with the help of the Center for Wind Energy Technology (CWET) in states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. For starters we have decided to begin with Andhra Pradesh. The land procurement process is underway and hopefully in another year or two we would have a fully functional manufacturing facility there.”

The landmark difference that sets GWPL apart from its competitors is the fact that they offer a full-service contract system to its customers which covers full turbine technical risks and is closely related to turbine sales. This is perhaps because of its partnership with Reliance ADA Group which also owns an insurance company but nevertheless, such a lease contract formula is a genuine wind industry novelty. It includes a fixed price paid per kWh for a 15-year period and guaranteed 95%–97% availability. GWP markets the contract under the slogan: ‘Minimum risk with maximum customer benefits!’ Global Wind Power Ltd is thus a true multinational who is set to capture the world energy industry with imagination, quality and innovation.



 

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