India's new industrial policy would focus on futuristic industries: Suresh Prabhu

Mar 10, 2018

Indian and French companies exchange contracts worth 13 billion Euros

 in diverse economic sectors

NEW DELHI, 10 March 2018. Indian and French business today heralded the state visit of the French President, Mr. Emmanuel Macron to India  by strengthening their  relations through exchange of 19 contracts and agreements worth 13 billion Euros in diverse fields of new and renewable energy, nuclear energy, smart grids, aviation, cement, telecom, agri-business, and environment ande climate change.

The agreements were formalised at the Indo-French Economic Partnership signing ceremony organised by FICCI in association with the French Embassy and the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The dignitaries present on the ocassion were : Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe & Foreign Affairs, In Charge of External Trade, France ; Mr. Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce and Industry; Ms Brune Poirson, Minister of State for Ecological & Inclusive Transition, Mr. Raj Kumar Singh, Minister of State with Independent Charge of Power, New & Renewable Energy; Mr. Rashesh Shah, President, FICCI and Mr. Guillaume Rydet, President, Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IFCCI), Paris.

Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian said that the agreements represented a deepening and diverisification of Indo-French business relations and stated that French companies with their expertise in knowledge and innovation industries could make a big contribution to India's 'Make in India' programme.

Mr. Suresh Prabhu, in his remarks, stated that India���s new industrial policy which is slated to be announced in the next few weeks would focus on futuristic industries that would drive the India of tomorrow. India, he said, offered a huge market and Indian and French companies should harness their synergies and tap the opportunities to work together.

He announced that a dedicated team would be established in Invest India for handholding French companies to invest and succeed in this country.

Ms. Brune Poirson stated that a major priority today was to make the world survive the effects of climate change. The time is ripe to implement the Paris Agreement and go beyond the political engagements and make the agreement work on the ground.

Mr. Raj Kumar Singh, pointed out that the International Solar Alliance has been signed by 60 countries. The time now is to sit together and work out ways to share experiences and transfer expertise for the benefit of all.

Mr. Rashesh Shah said that French expertise would be of immense use to India in the fields of climate action and renewable energy, electric vehicles, aviation and the fintech sector. He said India and France needed a partnership for the planet in addressing social challenges in healthcare, sanitation, education, water and food security.

Mr. Guillaume Rydet, shared his perspective on France-India business relations and gave a vote of thanks. 

 

Following are the details of the business contacts and agreements:

New and Renewable energies 

Innovation in solar energy

��� MoU between Apollon Solar and Topaz Solar for providing 2 lines of production for high quality solar panels, to set up a solar panel Giga factory in Odisha

��� Contract between the French company Ciel & Terre on the one hand and AM HOLDINGSand GREEN AM on the other hand ��� for the installation of the first floating solar plant in Tamil Nadu (capacity of 28 MW).

��� General Collaboration Agreement between the French Commission for Atomic and alternative Energy (CEA) and Vikram Solar to increase the production capacity of high performance solar cells and modules, and to further cooperate on solar related technologies.

��� Renewal of the contract between EDF ENand Bharat Light & Power on data acquisition to optimize wind and solar production

Smart grids

��� MoU of cooperation between 2 industrial federations in smart grids : Think Smart Grid, for France and ISGF (Indian Smart Grid Forum)

��� MoU between Enedis and Tata Power Delhi Distribution to cooperate on R&D, innovation and training in the field of Smart grids

��� MoU on electric mobility between EdF International Networks, Citelum, G2Mand Solstyce, four French company who intend to work together to develop in India e-vehicle charging infrastructure. 

Industrial & commercial agreement 

��� SPICEJET and CFM, a 50-50 joint company between SAFRAN and GE announce an agreement for purchasing and maintenance services of 342 LEAP-1B engines to power a total of 155 airplanes. 

��� Further strengthening 65 years of long-standing presence in India, SAFRANannounces the opening of its 8^th facility in the country. Located in Hyderabad,Telangana, the factory, with 250 employees, will be dedicated to production of harnesses used in civil and military aerospace applications, for both local and foreign programs.

��� Present in India since 2008, Vicat, a world leader in cement, is continuing to strengthen its presence in India through two major investments:

•      An investment of 1200 cr. INR in Karnataka to double its production capacity with a new state of the art production line equipped with the latest technology for energy efficiency and environment protectio
•      An investment of 510 cr. INR in a cement-grinding unit in Andhra Pradesh. This unit will be part of the circular economy by using slag, a by product of the local steel mills as an ingredient.

  

��� Sterlite, one of leading telecom products manufacturer in India across 3G and 4G andAir Liquide, world gas leader, are signing a contract to strengthen their cooperation. It consists in the supply and the management of Sterlite's gas needs in one of its expanding plant

��� In the sector of agri-food businessRoucadil signed a contract to import prunes with MD KDB Nuts

 

Nuclear sector

 

��� MoU between EDF, AFCEN, Bureau Veritas and L&T to cooperate on training for codes and standards in the nuclear sector

��� MoU between Assystem -  EDF - Bouygues - Egis -  Reliance to work in partnership on engineering studies

Infrastructure

 

��� Rendering by Egis to Airport Authority of India of the studies on three airports: Lucknow, Trichy, Pune 

Environment & Fight against climate change

 

In the field of sustainable urban development  

��� Suez announces a contract to operate the entire drinking water distribution system of Davanagere, a city in the state ofKarnataka, which has 500 000 inhabitants, for a value of 76 Million euros over 12 years. The group will replace the totality of the 1160 kilometers of network, with the aim of ensuring a continuous distribution of water, against a few hours per day currently, in the best case. It will also set up a call center and will provide technical management of billing.

In the field of waste management

��� MoU between Paprec and Ikos, both French companies established in India, in the field of waste to energy by methanisation, to strengthen their commitment in India.

��� MoU between 3Wayste and the Bangaluru Municipal Corporation for an innovative system for sorting household wastes and deriving energy therefrom. This innovative project in the sector of waste management will receive the support of the French government, through a technical assistance programme called FASEP.

��� Enia Architectes contract with Maha Metro for the design of supplementary stations for the Pune Metro.