Thaindian News

Chennai, Feb 12 (IANS) Japanese-Indian power equipment joint venture Toshiba JSW Turbine and Generator Pvt Ltd will export its products from its plant here apart from catering to the domestic market, a senior company official said Sunday.

Speaking to reporters here after the inauguration of the company’s steam turbine and generator plant here, managing director Itaru Ishibashi said: “Now Toshiba can export from its plant to Southeast Asia, the Middle East and also to African countries. The company is already exporting turbine blades from this Indian plant.”

He said the Rs.650 crore Chennai plant is the first Toshiba power plant outside Japan in its 60 year history.

Incidentally, it is also Tamil Nadu’s first steam turbine and generator plant.

Toshiba JSW will however be supplying its first Indian order (for the National Thermal Power Corp) out of its Japanese plant as the Chennai facility would take some more time to hit the full production mode.

According to Ishibashi, the company has been selected by NTPC to supply two units of 660 MW for a project in Uttar Pradesh) and three units of 800 MW for a project in Karnataka) but is yet to get the purchase order.

“In India. Toshiba has already supplied five units of 800 MW turbine and generator out of its Japanese plant,” he said.

The Rs.220 crore equity based Toshiba JSW is a 75:25 venture between Toshiba and the JSW group.

Within JSW group, JSW Energy holds 20 percent stake in Toshiba JSW and the balance five percent is held by JSW Steel.

According to Ishibashi, the company will increase its local content in its turbine and generator gradually.

“In the first unit that we would supply the local content will be around 40 percent and the next unit would be around 60 percent. Steel needs would be met through a mix of imports and domestic sourcing,” he added.

He said the company is hoping to achieve a turnover of around $400 million by 2015.

Ishibashi cited the 12th Five Year Plan target of adding around 75,000 MW of thermal power capacity as the target market size for Toshiba JSW and plans are there to double the Indian plant’s capacity to 6,000 MW by 2015.

Toshiba JSW has to invest another Rs.150 crore by 2014 as per the memorandum of understanding (MOU) it had signed with the Tamil Nadu government.

With the addition of steam turbine and generator facility in India, Toshiba can now set up a power plant on turnkey basis.

Toshiba already has two other companies undertaking civil construction, plant engineering, installation and commissioning of power plants, Ishibashi said.

Earlier at the inaugural function Norio Sasaki, president and CEO of Toshiba Corporation, said the 500 company group is writing a new page in the Indian power sector history with its Chennai plant.

He requested the Tamil Nadu government to strengthen the roads and bridges so that they can bear the turbine loads.