Bharat Forge forms JV with Alstom to make equipment for power plan

New Delhi, Nov 10 (UNI) Leaders in manufacturing and metal-forming maker Bharat Forge Ltd (BFL) today said it has entered into a joint venture agreement with Alstom Power Systems, a unit of French power and transport equipment maker Alstom for manufacturing state-of-art supercritical power plant equipments in the country.

The JV will design, engineer, manufacture and deliver turbine and generator island of 600-800 MW supercritical range with a total installed capacity of 5 GW per annum.

Both the companies have also agreed to explore manufacturing of turbines and generators in sub-critical range for gas nuclear applications.

''Bharat Forge's foray into state-of-the-art power plant equipment manufacturing is geared towards meeting crucial needs of the region, including a robustly growing Indian economy,'' Bharat Forge Chairman and Managing Director B N Kalyani said.

The agreement involves setting up of two companies -- the first JV company for manufacturing of core turbine and generators in which Alstom will hold the majority 51 per cent stake, and the other for manufacturing of all the auxiliaries, where Bharat Forge will own the majority stake of 51 per cent.

The manufacturing infrastructure will include plants for manufacturing of turbine, generators and all the auxiliaries that go into turbine generator island, he added.

Mr Kalyani, however, denied to divulge any further details, saying more details about comprehensive partnership would be made public after necessary regulator approvals in India and Europe.

Terming the partnership as a meeting of two profoundly committed manufacturing giants, Alstom Power Systems President Philippe Joubert said, ''Alstom is delighted to work in partnership with BFL to help introduce a paradigm change in the power sector landscape.'' The partnership will aim to deliver efficient and high quality equipment capable of satisfying the country's demand for power while taking into account the worldwide drive for better protection of the environment.

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