Wind generators expect better capacity addition

Chennai: Will Tamil Nadu witness a turnaround in wind power capacity addition with Tangedco deciding to evacuate maximum wind energy? Wind farm owners in the state are confident that more new investors would come to the state with better wind power evacuation. Tamil Nadu which accounts for 33 per cent of all the wind mills installed in the country has started witnessing a decline in capacity addition with the state adding a mere 197 MW of wind mills in 2015-16 while Madhya Pradesh achieved record 1,291 MW addition to the grid.

Tamil Nadu after achieving highest ever wind power capacity addition of 1,083 MW in the country in 2011-12 started witnessing steep slide in new capacity addition over the last four years. Wind generators attribute the decline in wind power capacity addition to evacuation issues and inordinate delay by  Tangedco to make payments to generators. Backing down of wind mills during the peak wind season was a major reason that led to fall in capacity addition over the years, the wind generators said, pointing out that Tangedco had evacuated record 12,948 million units in 2012-13 but the absorption of wind energy dropped to 10,930 MU next year and it went down further to 10,147 MU in 2014-15.

However, this year Tangedco’s wind power evacuation has increased by 74 per cent to 1,897 million units in June this year from 1086 MU in June 2015. “Tangedco was able to evacuate more wind energy thanks to forecast and scheduling done by National Institute of Wind Energy on behalf of wind generators in the state,” said a wind farm owner.

Ramesh Kymal, CMD of Gamesa Renewable Pvt Ltd, said that evacuation has improved. “In fact, this year the evacuation have been very good. That will bring lot of investors into wind sector in Tamil Nadu,” he said, pointing to the state government’s public announcement that it would utilize all the wind energy that is being generated. “Potential in Tamil Nadu for wind is more than 2 lakh mega watt. We have only 7,500 MW capacity. Tamil Nadu is richest in wind. We should utilise it fully. Tamil Nadu can earn money by exporting electricity to other parts in India,” he said, noting that Tangedco has already made an announcement to sell wind power to other states.