The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : Wind farms to be promoted in non-traditional areas

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Sunday, Aug 01, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

Wind farms to be promoted in non-traditional areas

By Our Special Correspondent

COIMBATORE, JULY 31. The Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA) is planning to promote wind farms in new regions, the Chairman-cum-Managing Director, K. Allaudin, has said.

Tamil Nadu achieved 1,500 MW of the total of 4,500-MW installed capacity of renewable energy in the entire country, he said. "Tamil Nadu tops in wind energy with an installed capacity of 1,351 MW against the total of 2,500 MW in the country."

Last financial year alone, 371 MW was installed in the State at a cost of Rs. 1,484 crores. Steps were afoot to promote wind farms in non-traditional areas such as Rameswaram and Andipatti, apart from Aralvaimozhi, Muppandal and Kethanur, well-known wind farm regions.

Mr. Allaudin admitted that the response was lukewarm from those who tried to experiment with windmills at Rameswaram as the plant load factor was just 25-lakh units for 1 MW unit against 30 lakh-32-lakh units at Muppandal and Kethanur. Besides, land availability was also a problem at Rameswaram.

"Now we are trying to attract investments to the Andipatti area, where wind farms could be set up thanks to the Cumbum Valley."

Plant in Namakkal

A plant coming up in the private sector at Namakkal to generate 1.5 MW using poultry litter on an outlay of about Rs. 20 crores was in the advanced stage of construction. " I am confident that it would be commissioned by August-September," he said. The plant would sell power to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board at Rs 3.15 a unit.

"We have taken up a study to assess the litter availability in the Namakkal region and the power generation possibility. I hope it will also be completed in two more months."

Earlier, inaugurating an all-India conference on "energy conservation and policy options for small and medium-scale industries (SMIs)" at the PSG College of Technology here, he said these units should bring down their power consumption to remain competitive in the era of globalisation.

But, these units faced impediments, including their large number, heterogeneous nature and fragmented ownership. Besides, they lacked awareness, effective advocacy, financial support, technical expertise, guidance and support. "Unless these issues are addressed and they are provided support, they will not be able to improve."

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