March 3, 2008
Suzlon announces blade retrofit program for its S88 turbines
Pune: Suzlon Energy Limited (SEL), the worlds fifth leading and Indias largest wind
turbine manufacturer announced a retrofit program to resolve blade cracking issues
discovered during the operations of some of its S88 turbines in the United States.
The retrofit program involves the structural strengthening of 1,251 (417 sets) blades
on S-88 (2.1 MW) turbines, of which 930 blades are already installed while the
remaining blades are in transit or inventory.
We have a close working relationship with our customers, and this program is a
proactive measure to safeguard the interest of all our stakeholders. The retrofit
program is designed to minimize impact for our customers and Suzlon, said Mr.
Andre Horbach, CEO Suzlon Group.
The retrofit program will be carried out by maintaining a rolling stock of temporary
replacement blades, to minimize the downtime for operational turbines, and will be
completed over a period of six months. The program will utilize Suzlons strong
global technical capabilities and its blade manufacturing and service facility in
Pipestone, Minnesota, for US Blades..
The company, with its integrated global value chain and in-house blade design and
manufacturing capabilities is well-equipped to resolve the issue within a short
timeframe and cost efficient manner. We are in close contact with all out customers
and are keeping them fully informed of the progress. We expect no impact on the
order and execution pipeline, Mr. Horbach added.
The total estimated cost of the retrofit program is estimated at INR 100 crores (USD
25 million), for which a provision will be made in Q4 of FY08.
