GE Energy is “open” to joint venture in India for three of its main products, which includes, steam, solar and the Jenbacher turbines.
The GE Energy India President and the Chief Executive Officer, Mr Kishore Jayaraman, told Business Line that the company would be keen to set up joint ventures because it gives an opportunity to further localise and customise its products for the Indian market leading to better value proposition for the customers.
“There is certainly a transformation from price to value now,” he said. The company would also look at joint ventures in the transmission and distribution space, he said.
Existing ventures
The company currently has two joint ventures – GE Triveni with Triveni Engineering and Industries Ltd. (TEIL) to serve the sub- 100 MW requirement for steam turbines and BHEL-GE Gas Turbine Services Pvt Ltd (BGGTS) with BHEL in the gas turbines space with 50:50 stake in both partnerships.
Mr. Jayaraman said that the company was “happy” with the BHEL partnership in the gas turbine space and that the company is localised in the wind turbines space and that it “would do it ourselves.”
Jenbacher systems
He said that GE's Jenbacher Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems (which use waste heat accrued during an engines operation to generate overall plant efficiencies of more than 90 per cent) would help increase generation of electricity and contribute to ideas of rural electrification, putting to use wasteful sewage gas, methane etc.
He said that with joint ventures in that segment, GE Energy could eventually localise the products like its wind turbines business. The Jenbacher turbines are basically meant for 1 MW to 4 MW capacity power plants.
Export opportunity
Mr Jayaraman said that productivity in manufacturing units in India was high and gave GE Energy the opportunity to export its products. GE Energy India exports primarily to Spain and the US, and Mr. Jayaraman pointed out that the opportunity to export was more because of the efficiency in production rather than low-costs of manufacturing.
The company has grown over three times in the last couple of years and the company continues to “hire in hundreds” in India every year, Mr Jayaraman said.