Ansaldo plans greenfield boiler unit in TN

Italian company Ansaldo Caldaie has invested e10 million on a greenfield boiler project at Tuticorin. Along with its joint venture partner, Tiruchy-based GB Engineering, it has acquired 17 hectares in the port town, where boiler production is to commence by the year end. Ansaldo Caldaie Boilers India director of operations Carloalberto Longoni said the land acquisition formalities were completed about two months ago. “Once the business plans are finalised, the building process will begin by June-July.

The boiler production in the new facility would commence by the year-end,” he added. The Italian firm set up its operations in October, 2005, and in the next year it bagged a € 40 million order. Apart from the € 5 million revenue from this order, it is expecting an order intake of € 60 million in 2008-09. It has a 85% stake in the joint venture with GB Engineering. “We are already engaged in talks with a south-based company for a boiler order. It would materialise by next month,” he said, adding that the Tuticorin facility would generate employment for 1,000 blue collar workers. GB Engineering managing director B Pattabhiraman said before the joint venture, it was manufacturing 300 tonne steam boilers with a 60 MW capacity. “We are aiming to install super critical boilers of 660 MW capacity and as a company have been mustering our technical capabilities after the joint venture,” he added.

Right now, there are 10 MNCs supplying super critical boilers. In India, Korea has three such boilers under installation though the technology has come in the sixties itself, he said. The Indian market is estimated to see a capacity addition of 10,000 MW each year over the next five years, Mr Pattabhiraman said adding his company's turnover would touch Rs 150 crore by March 2008, up from Rs 100 crore the previous year.