In an interview, Tanti said the National Manufacturing Mission proposed in the Union Budget 2025-26 and the focus on clean tech manufacturing are expected to bring the sector the required support.
“I think this particular initiative will give that very focused approach to driving manufacturing in India. If you look at wind energy, I think, we already have a good base. Since wind energy has grown over the last three decades, the ecosystem that has developed in India of almost 2,500 MSMEs in our value chain supporting the wind sector is quite robust,” he said.
“And I think having this focus, the manufacturing agenda from the government will only help them grow even further, because not just for make in India for India, but make in India for the world,” he added.
Tanti said that, compared to around 20% localization in solar energy, the local content in wind power projects in the country stands at about 64%.
Noting that a significant portion of wind power components manufactured in the country is exported, Tanti, who also heads the India chapter of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), said India has the potential to cater to 10% of the global wind energy demand by 2030.
“We have a huge advantage in wind, where we have the technology, the ecosystem, the manufacturing, and the global respect, both at a component level and at a fully finished product (turbine) level. The industry is already doing well, and achieving that 10% potential by 2030 should be possible,” he said.
India currently exports wind turbines and blades to the US, Australia, Brazil, and European countries, among other countries. The current annual production capacity of wind turbines in India is about 18 gigawatts.
Government aid
Highlighting the need for fiscal support from the government to further strengthen the domestic manufacturing space in the wind energy segment, he said an incentive programme should be initiated for wind power components, similar to the ongoing PLI scheme for solar modules, cells, and wafers.
“It’s important that we also support the wind ecosystem, which is already good, but we must maintain it…While today we are at 64% local content in wind, it was close to about 75% a decade ago. So, we’ve come down because wind has not got the focus that it requires. I think the government is looking into that, and we are seeing that now a positive area with this kind of policies. We will see that a more level playing field is provided and policies are harmonized between wind and solar,” the Suzlon vice-chairman said.
“So, whatever is offered to solar, we should do for wind as well. Of course, the percentage is different because if you see the 500GW by 2030, it’s a one-third, two-thirds kind of arrangement between wind and solar. So, at least whatever we do, one-third, two-thirds sharing should happen so that effectively we have both things running in parallel.”
The Centre is supporting the local manufacturing of high-efficiency solar photovoltaic (PV) modules and other components to produce those modules under a PLI scheme with an outlay of ₹24,000 crore.
However, on 1 February, while presenting the Union Budget for FY26, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the proposed National Manufacturing Mission would consider supporting the production of clean tech equipment in the country, including wind turbines.
“Given our commitment to climate-friendly development, the mission will also support clean tech manufacturing. This will aim to improve domestic value addition and build our ecosystem for solar PV cells, EV batteries, motors and controllers, electrolyzers, wind turbines, very high voltage transmission equipment and grid-scale batteries,” she said.
Speaking on Suzlon’s plans, Tanti said the company would continue to focus on wind energy components manufacturing as its core business. However, with the growing demand for hybrid and round-the-clock energy supplies, it would also cater to their needs.
“It (wind equipment manufacturing) requires a very focused and long-term view for product development and developing the whole ecosystem in line with the local content requirement. So, from that point of view, as a company, we will remain more in the wind area. However, from a solutions point of view, customers today require FDRE (firm and dispatchable renewable energy) and hybrid RTC designs. So, we would be working with various players to team up and work together.”
On 28 January, the company reported a 90% increase in its consolidated net profit for Q3 (October-December) of FY25 at ₹386.48 crore. Its total income also increased by about 91% to ₹3,002.36 crore, from ₹1,569.71 crore in the year-ago period.
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