GE Infrastructure India is aggressively looking at electrification projects. "We are taking a big swing in India, as stated by our chairman (Jeffrey Immelt), and are going all out to push key projects and are fine-tuning our business model," says GE Infrastructure, India President & CEO Pratyush Kumar.
It has set a sales target of over $1-billion against the previous sales revenue of $500 million in India.
GE Infrastructure has already broken in, in rural Punjab, and the benefit is being felt by the dairy farmers in the state. For, the company is aggressively involved in a rural electrification project with Punjab Energy Development Agency and has also provided equipment that use dung to generate electricity.
Similarly, the firm, in working with Malavalli Power Plant Pvt Ltd for seven rural electrification projects in Karnataka, Haryana and Punjab.On another front, it has undertaken a desalination project in Rajasthan for sewage water to be recycled for industrial use.
"We realise that the technology has to be sustainable and work at the local level, keeping in mind the cost and usability factors," says Kumar.
But all's not smooth for GE Infrastructure's rural tryst. "We realise that many of our projects did not take off six months down the line due to poor local understanding, improper implementation and lack of skilled manpower," Kumar says.
A case in point, GE Infrastructure, while launching the bio-mass project for energy, faced quirky issues like sand in cattle waste due to adulterated feed and its Jenbacher engines - commonly used in Europe - had to be modified by its Global Research Centre in Bangalore. It also had to work around the issue of power fluctuations and supply to individual endusers.
"Infrastructure in India is pegged at $320 billion, so even if we look at 5 per cent of that pie, we are still talking big and see a potential of $15-billion worth of opportunity for ourselves," says Kumar.
GE Infrstructure is also on the look-out for new business opportunities, including a joint venture with the Indian Railways on dedicated freight corridors for modern signalling and a desalination project in Kutch in Gujarat.
Supplying civil nuclear energy to the Indian government is also on the cards for the company. "Our chances here are good as we are the only private US company in this area... the other player is Toshiba," Kumar says.
GE Infrastructure India is also involved in providing a compressor system for Reliance Gas Transmission Infrastructure's east-west pipeline.
