Protection of Fuel Tanks Safety ahead! - GL Group

This year it is 2,000 MW. So we truly helped to develop the
entire market. It was not just a case of expanding our own
company. For example, we also took a lot of initiative by
developing the infrastructure or educating the banks and
investors. We convinced them that wind power is a very
good investment for our country. Suzlon is the key catalyst
for the growth of the wind power industry in India, and
even our competitors are growing with us.
nonstop: The growth of India is impressive. Recently, the
World Bank forecast that the economic growth of your
country in the com- ing years would lie between 6
and 8 per cent a year…
Tanti: ...but this kind of growth is only possible if
India can produce suf- ficient energy!
nonstop: And some peo- ple are still counting on
nuclear power plants. In Germany, we have an
ongoing debate on phasing out nuclear energy.
Tanti: This question affects not only Germany but
the whole world today. Energy and climate issues
are global, not country-specific issues. We need
energy and we have to find out which type we
have to use so that we do not damage
our planet and our environment.
The costs for oil and gas are
going up, and reliability issues are
becoming increasingly important.
In this scenario, we have to focus
on nuclear and renewable
energies. If we develop the
renewables faster than nuclear
power, then nuclear
power will no longer be
SUZLON ENERGY | INDUSTRIAL SERVICES
needed. But whether we are able to manage is not a question
of the competition between one source and the other.
For the moment, we need all sources.
nonstop: The Indian wind industry has been booming in
the last few years, and India has a wind energy potential
of 45,000 MW. With the present shortfall of 16,000 MW, can
wind energy play a major role in bridging the gap?
Tanti: India and also China are in a period of high economic
growth. If the people there want to live like Europeans and
Americans, they have to grow. The talent is there. But is it
advisable to grow like that by damaging the environment?
I say “No”. Global warming and climatic change are very
serious problems today. So, on the one hand, we have economic
growth, and, on the other, we have to take care of
the environment. The whole world has to make a decision
about the balance between these two factors. Do we need
the planet or do we need economic growth? Each country
has to make a decision based on its resources – which kind
of energy they have to favour and utilize first. The ultimate
aim is to ensure that we are damaging neither our environment
nor our economy. We have to sustain the stability of
mankind. That is a key challenge for all of us on earth.
nonstop: Let’s talk business. Suzlon products include wind
turbines with capacities ranging from 350 kW to 2.1 MW. Is
this a secret of your success – that you are focusing on the
specific needs of the people?
Tanti: We have to understand the needs of our customers.
We have to understand the capability and the capacity and
the constraints. Then we make and deliver the product to
match. And that is the correct approach for any businessman.
The US market is comfortable with 2.1 MW, and India
and China are very comfortable with 1 MW and 600 KW
machines. If my customers need platinum, I can’t offer
them steel. If my customer needs steel, I can’t offer him
platinum. If somebody wants to sell a turbine in the European
market, then 3 MW is what they need.
nonstop: And for wind turbines you need a lot of steel. By
the way, do you know Lakshmi Mittal?
Tanti: Yes, he was born in India, but is now living in England,
and his business headquarters is in the Netherlands. Under
his leadership, the Mittal group has become the largest
steel company in the world.
nonstop 4/2006
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