For centuries, Nellore’s only claim to fame was rice. But now, the sleepy township, 175 km north of Chennai on the coast of Andhra Pradesh, is fast-morphing into a hub for the manufacture and export of – blades for wind turbines.
Today, at least three companies have set up blade manufacturing plants near Nellore — Siemens Gamesa, Indutch and Regen Powertech. Others, such as the Danish major LM, are considering setting up blade making facilities there. Reason: proximity to the Krishnapatnam port.
Wind turbine blades are difficult to ship. They are bulky, very long (some more than 100 metres from tip to base). While transporting blades around bends, wind companies have had to pull down houses and rebuild them after the cargo has turned the corner. But fortunately for the Nellore-Sulurpet region, the infrastructure is favorable for carrying blades from factories to the Krishnapatnam port.
German wind turbine manufacturer, Enercon GmbH is getting 84-metre-long blades contract-manufactured at Indutch for exports. Enercon plans to ship 125 blades from the Indutch facilities near Nellore.
Regen Powertech is defunct today, but it is being taken over by ReNew Power, one of the largest renewable energy companies in India and will start producing blades soon.
The wind-blade industry has triggered industrial activity in the region. Now that there is an anchor industry, other investments are flowing into the region. Recently, the State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) of Andhra Pradesh, has approved the setting up
of a bioethanol plant by KRIBHCO at Sarvepalli in Nellore district with an investment of ₹560 crore.
A high-end aluminum alloy product manufacturing plant is being set up with an investment of Rs 5500 crore with a production capacity of 60,000 tonnes. This is set to provide employment (direct and indirect) to around a 1000 at Bodduvaripalem, Nellore.
All these have implications for Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. For the latter, it is a good augury because a less-developed district is getting handsome investments. It can twin Nellore with nearby Sri City, a vibrant, privately-owned industrial town that has attracted major investments from multinationals. For neighboring Chennai, it is a wake-up call of sorts. For a smart industrial investor, there is an attractive alternate site close-by. – R S Sumedh
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