Tata infrastructure arm eyes PPP projects

Four projects, to be executed in a PPP mode, were of different sizes and involve an investment ranging from Rs 300 crore to Rs 3,000 crore

Tata Projects Limited (TPL), an infrastructure development company belonging to the Tata group, is looking at developing projects on its own apart from continuing to be a major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) player.

Accordingly, TPL, which has its own tower manufacturing unit,  is in the process of bidding for at least two out of the four transmission line projects sought to be executed by the Rural Electrification Corporation, company’s chief strategy officer, Manzoor Ameen, told mediapersons here on Thursday.

Ameen said the four projects, to be executed in a public private partnership (PPP) mode, were of different sizes and involve an investment ranging from Rs 300 crore to Rs 3,000 crore. These projects were aimed at strengthening the northern grid.

The other focus area of TPL is in urban infrastructure, particularly urban transportation and water supply. In this context, Ameen said they had a pact with British infrastructure company Balfour Betty to collaborate on emerging opportunities in India.

According to Ameen, TPL currently has orders on hand worth Rs 15,000 crore to be executed in the next 30 months. With an average annual growth rate of 25-26 per cent, it is one of the fastest growing infrastructure companies in the country. In the last 10 years, the company's top line had multiplied 20 times from Rs 184 crore in 2002-03 to Rs 4,000 crore in 2012-13.

Among the marquee projects currently being executed by TPL include 2 x 800 Mw Krishnapatnam power project in Andhra Pradesh and the eastern dedicated rail freight corridor in Uttar Pradesh. TPL had partnered with Aldesa of Spain for execution of the World Bank-aided freight corridor involving construction of 337 km of double track line and 14 km single line between Bhaupur and Khurja.