【英语中国】风能企业苏司兰能源欲把中国打造成出口中心

Suzlon Energy Ltd. plans to open a research-and-development center in China and to make the first large export of turbines from its Chinese factory, its chairman said.

Suzlon Chairman Tulsi Tanti also said in an interview Monday that Suzlon is considering listing its China-based assets on Hong Kong's stock exchange. He wasn't specific about the timing except to say the listing is a medium-term plan. Suzlon currently is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Mr. Tanti, speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum's annual summer meeting of business leaders, politicians and others, said the planned export of 120 megawatts of wind turbines to Brazil marks the first time Suzlon is using its low-cost manufacturing and supply base in China for sales overseas and is part of broader plan to increase exports from China.

The Brazil deal could be valued at as much as $200 million, based on an industry average for deals of that size. Mr. Tanti declined to specify the value or the name of the buyer.

Each turbine will have a capacity of 2.1 megawatts. They are scheduled for delivery next year, he said.

Mr. Tanti said Suzlon will have to protect against currency fluctuations in its exports to Brazil, hedging the Brazilian real against possible fluctuations of the yuan.

Details on the size of investment, location and number of engineers for Suzlon's planned R&D center in China are being discussed, he said.

Suzlon, which Mr. Tanti founded in Pune, India, in 1995, is now one of the biggest wind-power companies in the world. But Suzlon and other wind-power turbine makers have suffered declining sales in the wake of the global financial crisis.

China is a bright spot, responsible for a 30% increase in the installation of wind-power capacity in Asia. Chinese companies have pushed out foreigners, mostly by selling at a lower cost.

But Mr. Tanti said that edge is disappearing. Suzlon brought prices down 10% on its turbines made in China by using domestic suppliers and content, bringing its prices close to those of the company's Chinese competitors. Further contributing to the lower costs are two new models Suzlon has designed for the China market that will be introduced next year.

'There is no more space for the price to come down -- steel and copper won't get cheaper,' he said. That will allow Suzlon to compete on technology and reliability, he added. Mr. Tanti said REpower Systems AG of Germany, 91% of which is owned by Suzlon, is considering setting up a venture with a Chinese company to pursue offshore wind farms. Suzlon would provide the wind turbines but is looking for a partner with expertise in offshore structure. The partner could be an oil company or someone similar who has built offshore platforms.

苏司兰能源有限公司（Suzlon Energy Ltd.）董事长表示，该公司计划在中国设立一个研发中心，并将从其中国工厂首次大规模出口涡轮机。

Bloomberg News苏司兰能源公司董事长坦蒂。苏司兰能源公司董事长坦蒂（Tulsi Tanti）周一在接受采访时还说，该公司考虑将其中国资产在香港联交所上市。他没有明确说明上市时间，只是说上市是中期计划。苏司兰能源公司股票目前在孟买证交所（Bombay Stock Exchange）上市。

世界经济论坛（World Economic Forum）年度夏季会议云集了商界领袖、政界人士等，坦蒂在会议的间隙说，计划向巴西出口120兆瓦风力涡轮机，这是苏司兰首次利用中国的低成本生产和供应基地将产品销往海外，而且是增加中国出口的更宏大计划的一部分。

根据这一交易规模的行业均值，该笔巴西交易价值最高可能为2亿美元。坦蒂拒绝透露交易价值，也没有说明买家的名字。

他说，每台涡轮机发电产能为2.1兆瓦，计划将于明年交货。

坦蒂表示，苏司兰能源公司将不得不在出口巴西的生意中防范汇率波动，在人民币可能的波动中对巴西雷亚尔进行套期保值。

他说，正在讨论苏司兰能源公司规划中的中国研发中心的投资规模、地点和工程师数量。

苏司兰能源公司由坦蒂于1995年在印度浦那成立，目前是全球最大风能企业之一。但在全球金融危机之后，苏司兰和其他风力发电涡轮机生产企业的销售不断下降。

中国是一个亮点，在亚洲风力发电装机容量的增长中，中国贡献了30%。中国企业大多以较低的成本销售产品，而将外国企业挤出市场。

坦蒂表示这一优势正在消失。苏司兰能源公司通过使用国内供应商和涡轮机元件，把在中国生产的涡轮机价格压低了10%，其价格接近公司中国竞争对手的价格。苏司兰能源公司还为中国市场设计了两种新型涡轮机，将于明年推出，这将进一步压低成本。

他说，没有更多降价的空间了，钢和铜的价格不会再便宜了。他补充说，这将让苏司兰能源公司在技术和可靠性上与对手展开竞争。坦蒂说，苏司兰能源公司持有德国REpower Systems AG的91%股权，该德国企业正在考虑与中国一家公司建立合资企业，向海外风电厂兜售产品。苏司兰能源公司将提供风力涡轮机，但正在寻找具有海外架构专长的合作伙伴。该合作伙伴可能是一家石油企业，或是建立了海外平台的类似企业。