Baettr India Private Limited broke ground for a major expansion of its manufacturing facility at the SIPCOT Industrial Park in Thervoy Kandigai, Gummidipoondi, near Chennai, marking a significant scale-up of capacity for large wind turbine castings. The expansion is being undertaken within the company’s existing 20-acre site and does not involve additional land acquisition.
The project aims to increase the facility’s licensed production capacity for saleable castings from 27,500 tonnes per annum (TPA) to 95,040 TPA, nearly quadrupling the currently approved capacity. The expansion reflects rising demand from wind turbine original equipment manufacturers as turbine sizes increase from 2 MW to 5 MW and above, requiring heavier and more complex structural components.
The expansion phase involves a capital investment of approximately INR 726.8 million, bringing the total investment in the facility, including the original project, to about INR 2.86–2.88 billion. As part of the upgrade, the built-up area will increase from roughly 18,472 square metres to more than 46,451 square metres.
“We just marked the ground-breaking for the expansion of our Baettr India facility — an important step as we double our capacity to meet growing customer demand. This milestone reflects the strong momentum we are experiencing, built on a foundation of stable operations and, above all, an excellent local team that delivers day after day.,” states Peter Pallishøj, Chief Executive Officer of Baettr.
The Chennai facility manufactures large structural iron castings such as hubs, mainframes, main bearing housings, and other components for wind turbine assemblies. The production process includes melting ferrous scrap and alloying materials in medium-frequency induction furnaces, green sand moulding, controlled pouring, fettling, shot blasting, and precision machining on CNC machining centres. The expanded plant is designed to handle castings weighing up to 35–40 tonnes, supported by 15 cranes with capacities ranging from 10 to 150 tonnes.
The expansion will introduce significant new equipment and infrastructure to support the planned increase in output. Key additions include two new high-capacity sand mixers, configured at 100 tonnes per hour compared with the existing 60 tonnes per hour units, taking the total number of mixers at the facility to four. Sand storage capacity will be expanded with the installation of five additional silos, increasing the total to eleven. Material handling capabilities will be strengthened through the addition of three new cranes with lifting capacities of up to 150 tonnes, along with a new scrap charging system for the induction furnace. To improve operational resilience, a second 1,500 kVA diesel generator set will be installed, doubling the facility’s backup power capacity.
The project will also add new process capabilities that were not previously available at the site. A thermal sand reclamation unit with a capacity of 5 tonnes per hour will be commissioned, enabling the recycling and reuse of foundry sand and supporting waste reduction objectives. The expansion includes the installation of a dedicated coating station and a second drying oven to handle the higher volume of moulds and cores required for large castings. In addition, the cooling infrastructure will be enhanced through the introduction of an additional cooling classifier to support higher throughput.
Power and melting capabilities are being upgraded to enable higher production without adding new furnace vessels. The induction furnace panel board capacity will be increased from 5,000 kW to 8,000 kW, allowing the existing 24-tonne crucible furnace to operate at higher melting rates and efficiency. This upgrade is a key enabler of the increase in licensed saleable casting capacity from 27,500 tonnes per annum to 95,040 tonnes per annum. To support the higher electrical load, the facility’s power infrastructure will be upgraded from a 33 kV connection to a dedicated 110 kV substation, designed to handle a total demand of 13,000 kVA.
The facility will produce hubs for 2 MW to 5 MW turbine platforms weighing between approximately 17,300 kg and 24,000 kg, with dimensions exceeding three metres in length and width for higher-capacity variants. The facility’s manufacturing configuration is intended to support next-generation onshore wind turbine platforms that require larger and heavier components.
Operational data shared for the site shows production of 28,156 tonnes in 2024, a planned output of 32,000 tonnes in 2025, and a forecast of 62,000 tonnes by 2027 as the expansion progresses. Once fully operational, the permanent workforce is projected to increase from 154 to 250 employees, while contractual staffing is expected to rise from 270 to 459, taking the total headcount to 709.
Baettr India Private Limited operates as a manufacturing arm of Baettr, headquartered in Denmark, supplying large cast and machined components to global wind turbine manufacturers from its facility in the Chennai region.