Suzlon unveils plan for three new AI-enabled smart blade units

Mumbai: Suzlon Energy, India's largest wind turbine manufacturer, will commission three new AI-enabled smart blade factories to digitally upgrade its nationwide manufacturing footprint, the company said on Thursday. The move will take Suzlon's total number of facilities to 20, marking one of the company's most ambitious expansion phases in decades. Two factories will come up in Gujarat and Karnataka, both key wind corridors, while the third location will be finalised shortly.

The new units are designed to accelerate execution of Suzlon's 6.2 gigawatt order book, reduce the movement time for large turbine components, and move manufacturing closer to upcoming wind project clusters.

The company said the factories will integrate automation, robotics, digital workflow systems, and advanced monitoring tools to raise blade quality, improve productivity, and enhance safety. Suzlon's existing 15 plants will also be upgraded under a multi-year smart factory programme aimed at modernising the full value chain. Group CEO J P Chalasani said the company earmarks about ₹550 crore annually for capital expenditure, part of which will fund the new factories. Suzlon currently services nearly one-third of India's operational 50-gigawatt fleet, giving it one of the deepest maintenance networks in the industry.


Tapping this experience, vice chairman Girish Tanti said the company is strengthening three strategic engines: technology and manufacturing, project development and execution, and long-term services, including repowering.

The company's S144 turbine platform remains central to its product strategy, with a commitment to high domestic content and a supply ecosystem of over 1,500 sub-vendors. Tanti said the company's design philosophy prioritises cost efficiency, low carbon footprint and Make in India capabilities.

Project execution, historically a sector bottleneck, is another focus area. Suzlon is urging customers to finalise sites two years ahead of construction, a shift that could help the industry move from six gigawatts of annual installations to double-digit growth.

On the services side, the company sees large opportunities in extending turbine life by three to seven years and fully repowering older sites to double power generation.

Even as interest re-emerges from overseas markets, Tanti said India will remain its core focus given the scale of domestic opportunity. "The next five years will determine whether India can convert wind into a true mainstream energy source and whether Suzlon can anchor that transition."

Tanti added Suzlon is preparing for selective reentry into international markets where legacy customers seek repowering solutions. The company will also follow a disciplined balance sheet approach, aiming to remain a low-debt enterprise even as it supports aggressive capacity additions.