OREANDA-NEWS. October 12, 2011. Tata Projects (TPL), the infrastructure engineering and construction arm of the Tata group, and Balfour Beatty’s newly-formed Indian subsidiary, Balfour Beatty India, today, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on emerging infrastructure opportunities. The MoU paves the way for the two companies to jointly identify and pursue infrastructure opportunities in India and Sub-Saharan Africa with an initial focus on the power generation, transmission, railways, mining, and water and waste water segments.

Expressing his happiness at this important strategic tie-up with a respected group like Balfour Beatty for expanding business operations particularly in global markets such as Africa, Prasad Menon, director, Tata Industries and TPL, said, “The MoU will fast-track TPL’s journey to emerge as India’s leading engineering procurement and construction player. The Tata group looks forward to synergetic collaboration with Balfour Beatty in more diverse fields in the years to come.”

Ian Tyler, chief executive, Balfour Beatty, commented, “This agreement with Tata, one of the largest and most respected companies in India, aligns us with a company with similar core values, enabling us to develop a long-term sustainable business in these markets. We already have an active presence in India through our professional services division Parsons Brinckerhoff, and through our cooperation with Tata, we see opportunities to develop substantial business in the expanding infrastructure markets in both India and Africa. This initiative is in line with our broader strategy to develop our business in the high-growth emerging markets and is a good example of how we can leverage our wide-ranging service capabilities and global presence to play a significant role in delivering infrastructure solutions in growing regions.”

The event was attended by Vinayak Deshpande, managing director, TPL; Anil Sardana, managing director, Tata Power; Sanjay Ubale, managing director, Tata Realty and Infrastructure, and other senior executives of the Tata group companies and Balfour Beatty, UK.