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TN wind power producers hopeful of Govt support

Our Bureau

CHENNAI, May 27

THE Wind Power Producers' Association (Windpro) is hopeful that the new Government in Tamil Nadu will have a policy that will encourage the growth of this sector.

Speaking to newspersons, Mr K. Kasthurirangaian, Honorary Secretary of Windpro, said the companies that had invested in setting up wind farms were ``looking for better days ahead.''

According to him, the wind energy sector had not obtained much support from the previous Government and the administration of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB). Due to this in the last five years, the installed capacity from wind turbines had incre ased only by 100 MW, whereas in the earlier years there was a rapid growth.

Starting from May 3, the wind turbine operators had been supplying 250 MW of power into the grid, he said. This has offset part of the problem faced by the TNEB due to the strike in the Neyveli Lignite Corporation, which had reduced the supply by around 600 MW. The power generation from wind turbines will increase with the onset of powerful winds that come with the South-West monsoon.

He hoped that the new State Government would take a positive decision on the price payable to those who supply energy from wind turbines to the grid. Currently, the price paid is Rs 2.70 per unit. This was on the basis of the TNEB order passed in 1995 fi xing Rs 2.25 per unit, with an annual escalation of five per cent.

Windpro wants the Government to fix Rs 3.05 per unit with a five per cent annual escalation. This, according to the association, is the rate paid by the electricity boards in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

According to him, the members of the association are also in favour of a policy that had an incentive for power generation rather than on the present policy where the incentive is on capital investment.

Further, the association wants the formulation of a long-term national renewable energy policy with statutory backing, permission for the third-party sales, and removal of peak-hour charges.