ArcelorMittal India looks to wind to decarbonise steel plants
Pamela Largue
Posted on: 14 April 2023
Siemens Gamesa will supply steel company ArcelorMittal’s subsidiary in India with 46 SG 3.6-145 wind turbines for a project totaling 166MW.
Siemens Gamesa has agreed to supply steel company ArcelorMittal’s subsidiary in India with 46 SG 3.6-145 wind turbines for a project totaling 166MW.
The deal was signed with AM Green Energy Private Limited (AMGEPL), a joint venture of ArcelorMittal S.A. and ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India Limited (AM/NS India) and forms part of the company's efforts to decarbonise its steel plants.
The wind project will form part of AMGEPL's 989MW wind-solar hybrid project in the Kurnool District of Andhra Pradesh.
The power generated from the Kurnool wind farm will meet 20% of AM/NS India's electricity needs and will reduce its carbon emissions by 1.5 million tonnes annually.
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Siemens Gamesa, a member of the Steel Zero initiative, will manufacture the turbines in India and will begin supplying turbines to the project in Q2 2023.
According to the wind turbine manufacturer, the state of Andhra Pradesh, where the project is located, has significant potential for power generation through wind projects. This project is in line with Andhra Pradesh government’s Renewable Energy Export Policy 2020 for solar, wind and hybrid projects, which aims to promote the export of renewable energy outside the state.
“Large amounts of clean energy are required to accelerate to net zero goals of corporations and countries, and we are happy to have embarked on this journey emphatically in India.
Our partnership with Siemens Gamesa for this benchmark model project demonstrates how establishing partnerships and collaborating across the supply chain can help us progress faster toward our decarbonization targets,” said Amit Harlalka, vice president, ArcelorMittal and CFO, AM/NS India.
Siemens Gamesa has operated in India since 2009 and currently has a blade factory in Nellore (Andhra Pradesh), a nacelle factory in Mamandur (Chennai, Tamil Nadu), and an operations and maintenance centre in Red Hills (Chennai, Tamil Nadu).
According to the International Energy Agency, India is making great strides in its green transition by pioneering a new model of economic development that could avoid the carbon-intensive approaches that many countries have pursued in the past. By doing this, the country could provide a blueprint for other developing economies to follow.
Also, India has committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2070 and to meet 50% of its electricity requirements from renewable energy sources by 2030.
