Foundation stone laid for AREVA's manufacturing unit

Chennai, Nov 6 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister Arcot Veerasamy today laid the foundation stone for GIS products company AREVA's state-of-the-art high voltage manufacturing unit at Padappai, near here.

The new unit, an expansion of AREVA's Perungudi plant here, was expected to start operations in January 2009. It would manufacture high voltage circuit breakers up to 675 KV and would be fully equipped to expand the product portfolio up to 1,200 KV. The product portfolio at this facility would also include Disconnectors, a company release here said.

''We have planned to invest over Rs 100 crore in this new manufacturing unit and double the capacity,'' company Chairman Philippe Guillemot said.

He said the facility at Padappai would directly employ about 400 people and open up opportunities for indirect employment through the creation of a world-class supply chain and vendor base.

UNI