Spanish cos eye high speed rail in India
- Spain’s state-owned defence firm Navantia has thrown its hat in the ring for a contract to build six submarines for India
Spanish transport firms are interested in building high-speed railway networks in India, said the country’s ambassador Jose Maria Ridao Dominguez in an interview with Mint.
Spain, which has the second largest network of high-speed trains in the world after China according to Dominguez, is interested in exploring the sector for its private sector companies. He mentioned Talgo, a Spanish manufacturer of high speed passenger trains, as an interested party in the high-speed rail sector.
Besides this, defence is a key focus for Spain, Dominguez said. Spain’s state-owned defence firm Navantia has thrown its hat in the ring for a contract to build six submarines for India under Project 75 (I). Navantia teamed up with Larsen and Toubro for this deal in April.
“Project 75 (I) requires the Indian bidder to tie up with a Foreign Collaborator (FC) and execute the programme for delivery of six conventional submarines equipped with Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP), while achieving targetted Indigenous Content. Expected to be valued at over €4.8 billion, the project is the India‘s largest defence acquisition project. This would also be followed by a 30-year lifecycle sustenance contract of similar value. P75(I) would be the first programme to be processed under the ambitious Strategic Partnership (SP) model of acquisition of the Ministry of Defence,” says L&T’s press release announcing its partnership with Navantia.
The deal will involve a full transfer of technology from Navantia, Dominguez said. Navantia is expected to base its design on its S80 class of submarines. These were launched in 2021 and are currently undergoing sea trials. The company is expected to deliver the submarine to the Spanish Navy at the end of this month.
Navantia’s competition is Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marime Systems (TKMS). German officials indicated that they too have been in touch with India and hope to have a decision on the contract.
Dominguez remains confident, citing the Spanish submarine’s propulsion technology.
“We have a third-generation propulsion, and it is one that is ecologically the best. The propulsor is the best at the moment in the market. Another thing is that we are fully engaged with the programme ‘Make In India’. There is a full agreement among the Spanish parties and governments to support this programme. The only thing we need is to be trusted,” he said to Mint in September.
Dominguez also indicated that Spanish firms are interested in further collaborations with the Indian Air Force and Navy. Collaboration with the Navy could include aircraft carrier technologies.
Airbus Spain also recently delivered its first C-295 transport aircraft to the Indian military. India signed a deal to buy 56 such aircraft in 2021 to replace its aging military transport aircraft.
The purchase came with a reported price tag of ₹21,395 crore with 40 planes expected to be manufactured in India.
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Business NewsEconomySpanish cos eye high speed rail in India
First Published:20 Nov 2023, 10:55 PM IST
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