Suzlon’s first wind farm site achieves an operational milestone of 20 years

Suzlon Group, one of the leading renewable energy solutions providers in the world, recently announced that its first wind farm at Dhank, Gujarat, has completed an operational milestone of 20 years. Built initially for Indian Petrochemical Corporation Ltd., now Reliance Industries Ltd., the site has a total of 14 Wind Turbine Generators (WTGs) commissioned and erected for IPCL and other SMEs. 10 of the WTGs have completed 20 years, with the remaining 4 scheduled to do so in December, this year. The 10 units consist of 2 units of 270kW and 8 units of 350kW. The site has successfully powered 70,000 households in Gujarat since March, 1996.

Mr. Tulsi Tanti, Chairman, Suzlon Group, says, “The milestone of our first wind site completing 20 years is a significant achievement for the organisation. Since the start of our journey in 1996, our emphasis has been to build strong and robust products that outperform the design life which are norms for the industry. Reliability has been the cornerstone of our value proposition to our customers and this milestone is a testimony. We take this opportunity to thank all our customers for reposing their faith in our wind power solutions. We would like to specifically acknowledge and express our gratitude to the customers who trusted us with their investments way back in 1996 and were instrumental in our maiden foray in wind energy. I am personally delighted about this achievement and the project as it set the course for our future direction and was a precursor to our 20 year old journey during which we have installed over 9,500 MW in the country”.

Present in Gujarat since its inception, Suzlon has played a pivotal part in the growth of wind energy in the state. As of March 2016, the total wind installations in Gujarat stood at 4,037 MW, out of which 1,842 MW, or ~46%, has been contributed by Suzlon. Supporting the transition of the state to a sustainable energy mix, Suzlon’s wind energy installations power over 1 million homes in Gujarat and offset 3.9 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. Suzlon also adds to the economic and social development of the state and has, thus far, provided employment to ~1,000 people.

Suzlon’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme works for the sustainable development of the society. Efforts of the Suzlon Foundation have had the following positive impact, thus far, in Gujarat:
 127 villages covered under CSR outreach programme
 118 schools covered, targeting 13,051 students
 1,020 trees were planted to improve green cover
 209 families benefitted by solar lantern support
 7000 cubic meter water conserved and 494 families benefitted due to better water availability
 6871 patients screened and 763 operated who got their sight back due to cataract surgeries

With 18 years of sustained market leadership in India, technology edge, large manufacturing set up and end-to-end solutions, including best-in-class services, Suzlon is best positioned to cater to the domestic and international market. The organisation holds ~36% of the Indian market share with a total installed capacity of 9,500 MW, established over the last 20 years.