Vikram Solar says co evaluating plans to set up manufacturing unit in the US
Solar photovoltaic modules maker Vikram Solar is evaluating plans to set up operations in the US, company chairman and managing director Gyanesh Chaudhary told ET. "We are evaluating our plans to set up operations in the US and looking at how things will pan out in the light of the tariffs," Chaudhary said on Wednesday.According to sources, Vikram Solar was planning to invest around $1.5 billion in setting up a 3 GW (gigawatt) solar photovoltaic modules plant in the US as part of the company's expansion plan of 15.5 GW module and 5 GW cell capacity by fiscal year 2026-27.Chaudhary however declined to comment on the investments being planned in the possible US facility. The company, which has filed a draft prospectus for its initial public offer, has a 4.5 GW module manufacturing capacity across its two plants in Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
It has a sales office in the US which is also its largest export market, contributing around 61.10% of the company's total revenue from operations as of FY24.On Wednesday the company fixed a price band of Rs 315 to Rs 332 per share for its upcoming Rs 2,079 crore initial public offering (IPO). The Kolkata-based firm's maiden public issue would open for subscription on August 19 and conclude on August 21, it announced.The IPO will include fresh issues of equities worth up to Rs 1,500 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of over 1.74 crore shares valued at around Rs 579.37 crore at the upper end of the price band, by its promoters. Of the fresh issuance, the company plans to use the proceeds for funding capital expenditure for investment in its wholly owned subsidiary, VSL Green Power Private Ltd, for both Phase I and Phase II of the project. Vikram Solar commenced its manufacturing operations in 2009 with an installed solar PV module manufacturing capacity of 12 MW, grown to 4.50 GW installed capacity as of the date.
The company said its key domestic customers include prominent government entities, such as NTPC, Neyveli Lignite Corporation, and Gujarat Industries Power Company and private independent power producers (IPPs), like ACME Cleantech Solutions Adani Green Energy, Azure Power India, JSW Energy and Rays Power Infra, among others.
The company is also planning to enter the battery energy storage systems (BESS) segment as a strategy to diversify its portfolio. It plans to start with a 1 GW BESS facility which will be scaled up to 10 GW or more.
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