Alstom Bharat Forge Power Ltd (ABFPL), a joint venture between Alstom and Bharat Forge Ltd., has commenced production of supercritical turbines and generators at its new Greenfield manufacturing facility at Sanand.
The new plant has an annual capacity of 4000 MW, producing equipment for several major power projects in India.
The factory currently employs over 250 highly skilled manpower and plans are afoot to ramp it up to 650 in the near future.
The first production from the new plant will be related to major power projects in India with the first deliveries planned in the current calendar year.
In a statement, Baba Kalyani, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Forge Limited, said, “The commencement of operations of the facility in Gujarat is the first of many milestones for the Joint Venture and we believe it will be a cornerstone in the “Make in India” initiative of the Government of India.”
"The company is excited about the growth opportunities enabled by the opening of this facility as it provides an indication to the next wave of growth driven by the increased focus on infrastructure development in the country," Alain Spohr, Managing Director, Alstom-Bharat Forge Power Ltd, added.
Alstom’s supercritical technology uses steam with very high temperatures and pressure, resulting in a much higher efficiency than conventional subcritical coal-fired plants. Alstom is already engaged in the evolution towards ultra-supercritical technology, with 10 ultra-supercritical units operating worldwide. Such ultra-supercritical machines, manufactured in Sanand, are now offered by ABFPL for future Indian power projects.