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Thursday, 9 April 2015 01:39 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
From Left: GAMESA Lanka Chief Financial Officer Rajaratnam Venkatesh, GAMESA Lanka Chairman and MD Ramesh Kymal and GAMESA Lanka Head of Operations Sampath Kariyawasam - Pic by Sameera Wijeyasingha
Gamesa, a global leader in wind turbine technology, recently inaugurated its first commercial office in Katunayake, establishing its presence in the country. Gamesa is the only wind turbine solutions provider in Sri Lanka to have a permanent office and an O&M setup with an installed capacity of 45.3 MW, making it the biggest wind turbine supplier in the country. The launch was attended by Gamesa Lanka Chairman and Managing Director Ramesh Kymal, Gamesa Chief Financial Officer Rajarathnam Venkatosh and Gamesa Sri Lanka Head of Operations Sampath Kariyawasam. Addressing the media, Gamesa Lanka Chairman/Managing Director Ramesh Kymal said: “This facility marks our long standing commitment to build the renewables’ share in the energy sourcing mix for Sri Lanka, a country presenting climatic conditions conducive for clean energy generation. Now, with the muscle of our own talents and presence on-ground, backed by our technical and back-end support from India, we are confident of partnering Sri Lanka strengthen its renewable energy portfolio. We are thankful to the Lankan government for their positive inclination towards clean technology and encouraging its increasing acceptance.” Venturing into Sri Lanka more than five years ago with its first project of installing 2x10MW project with Akbar Brothers and Hirdaramani Group at Seguvanthiv and Vidathamuni, today the company is the undisputed market leader, having captured 40 per cent of the market share. In fact, the maiden project by Gamesa was the first wind power project in the country to be owned by a private company and developed under the SPPA (Standardised Power Purchase Agreement) scheme. Since then, catering to major customers such as LTL Holdings and Senok Group, Gamesa has delivered several innovations including AE-59 800kW, G58-850kW and G97-2.0MW from its vast technology portfolio. This apart, in December 2013, Gamesa launched a state-of-the-art integrated services and monitoring centre for real time monitoring of its entire fleet of turbines in India that caters to the Sri Lankan market too, giving it the necessary operational and technical edge to maintain longevity of its installations. “The wind energy portfolio formulated by SEA envisages bringing a total capacity of 200 MW operational by 2017,” added Head of Operations Sampath Kariyawasam. “Having set up a permanent base in Sri Lanka, we are keen to contribute towards this target by harnessing the wind potential available here. Moreover, the recently installed 2 MW turbine is one of the largest turbine to be installed in the country and we are keen on carrying out more such ambitious plans. We look forward to being a committed partner in supporting the country in its journey towards a cleaner and greener future.” Located at Katunayake, the newly inaugurated facility will be run by a strong local team which will look into sales support, project execution and operation and maintenance of wind turbine operations in the country. With a track record stretching back 21 years and installation of over 30,000 MW in 51 countries under its belt, Gamesa has established itself as a world technology leader in the wind power industry. Its end-to-end value chain presence encompasses wind turbine design, manufacture, installation and operations and management (over 20,000 MW). Gamesa is also a global benchmark in the development, construction and sale of wind farms, having installed 6,400 MW worldwide. Gamesa’s presence in India – as technology provider and wind farm developer – dates back to 2009. In the last five years, Gamesa has emerged as the number-one turbine OEM by market share (26% in 2014), according to MAKE Consult. To date, Gamesa has installed over 1,700 MW and services close to 1,400 MW under O&M agreements. Additionally, in its capacity as a wind farm developer, it has developed over 1,000 MW.
