Resurgent Suzlon bullish on Chinese wind threat: 'there's room for all of us to play'

Indian group says demand boom leaves room for big order growth despite success of likes of Envision Energy

Himanshu Mody, Suzlon CFO.
Himanshu Mody, Suzlon CFO.Photo: Suzlon Energy

Suzlon Energy claimed a booming Indian wind market will give it enough headroom for significant growth despite a growing interest from big Chinese turbine players that are gaining traction there.

Domestic champion Suzlon – which said it amassed its biggest ever order backlog of 3.3GW in its 2024 financial year, which ended on March 31 – insisted surging sales for the likes of Envision Energy will not dampen its own resurgence.

"There are certain Chinese competitors that are quite active in the Indian marketplace. But the demand is such that there is room for all of us to play," chief financial officer Himanshu Mody told CNBC TV 18.

Suzlon has emerged from a tough few years to again be a significant force in the Indian sector, driven by orders for its new 3MW machine.

However, it now faces the likes of Envision Energy as well as western rivals such as GE Vernova, Vestas and Siemens Gamesa, the last of which has launched a review of its activities in India.
The Chinese group has swept to top spot in the Indian onshore wind market and recently told Recharge it is eying the nation’s fledgling offshore sector for future growth.

Suzlon, however, is banking on India’s massive renewable energy targets, backed up by regular auctions, to provide plenty of opportunity in a home market where it claimed it is best placed to provide turbines suited to local conditions.

The company cited figures to financial analysts forecasting 100GW of wind power in India by 2030, more than double what’s in place now.

Suzlon vice-chairman Girish Tanti said “in [FY2024] we added several leading Indian conglomerates to our customer portfolio with long-term relationships and repeat orders.

"This aligns well with our commitment to powering the industries' net-zero commitments with green energy. We rebuilt our organisational strength and expanded our leadership team, acquiring critical multi-industry talent."

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Published 28 May 2024, 07:34Updated 28 May 2024, 07:39
SuzlonAsia-PacificIndia