(May 5, 2011)
Alstom today inaugurated a bearing factory in Vadodara in the state of Gujarat. Honourable Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde, Union Minister for Power, in the presence of Philippe Joubert, Alstom Power President, Sunand Sharma, Alstom Country President in India, and other dignitaries inaugurated the factory.
The factory will manufacture bearings for medium to large size hydro power projects, including large turbine and generator thrust bearings, guide bearings and shaft seals to cater to the hydro power sector both in India and abroad. Alstom’s bearing technologies are developed as an integrated part of the hydro generator system. Thrust bearings tolerate much higher impact loads, without damage or performance degradation, and significantly reduce friction, enabling higher load/speed combinations, cooler operation, and extended operational life.
With an area of over 6150 square metres, the site is Alstom’s most advanced bearing production facility. Employing around 200 people, it will reach a full production capacity of 40 sets of bearings and shaft seals per year by 2012 – 2013. The factory respects internationally recognized standards for environmentally sustainable design. Its energy-efficient characteristics include heat-insulated panels, a fume extraction system, underwater plasma cutting machines to reduce noise pollution, a rainwater recycling system, a liquefied petroleum gas heated furnace to ensure zero pollution, skylights and turbo ventilators to take full advantage of the natural light and air, and demand controlled VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) air conditioning systems to increase indoor air quality.
Philippe Joubert said, “This is another major milestone in the history of Alstom in India. While India continues to develop as one of the most dynamic economies of the world, Alstom is committed to providing the best technologies and equipment to its partners and customers. With this new plant in Vadodara, we will further strengthen our position as one of the largest and most comprehensive companies in equipment and services for power generation, especially in the hydro sector.”
The Vadodara site is also home to one of Alstom’s biggest hydropower manufacturing sites as well as Alstom’s Global Technology Centre (GTC) for the testing of Pelton turbines, commonly used in the Indian hydro market. The GTC develops highly innovative integrated products and technologies for new and rehabilitation projects. The hydro factory recently dispatched the biggest Kaplan Runner for Uganda and delivered the major equipment for India’s largest dam – the 2000 MW Subansiri Hydro Power Project located in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
India was one of the pioneering countries in establishing hydro-electric power plants with the first dam established at Darjeeling and Shimsha (Shivanasamudra) in 1898 and 1902 respectively. The installed capacity of hydro electric power plants in the country as of March 2011 is around 37570 MW (Source: Central Electricity Authority).
About Alstom
Alstom is a global leader in the world of power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure and sets the benchmark for innovative and environmentally friendly technologies. Alstom builds the fastest train and the highest capacity automated metro in the world, provides turnkey integrated power plant solutions and associated services for a wide variety of energy sources, including hydro, nuclear, gas, coal and wind, and it offers a wide range of solutions for power transmission, with a focus on smart grids. The Group employs 93,000 people in more than 70 countries, and had sales of over #8364;23 billion in 2009/10 (pro forma figures).
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