Tamil Nadu - Salem   

Weaving units plan to install wind turbines in Namakkal and Salem

S. Ramesh

This will minimise electricity bills and earn profit in the long run

SALEM: A number of weaving units especially those having modern looms in Rasipuram in Namakkal district and in Jalakandapuram and Salem city in Salem are planning to install wind turbines to minimise their electricity bills.

Weavers who are upgrading their ordinary powerlooms with shuttleless looms are showing more interest in investing in wind energy. "The energy generated in the windmill can be adjusted to the total power consumption of the weaving units. Though initially the wind energy will not give much profits, in the long run it will help the units save considerable amount of expenditure towards electricity," President of the Salem Exporters Association, S.R. Venugopal, says.

While a couple of units in Salem have already installed wind turbines and a few others have planned to install within this year, the units in Rasipuram area have just started preparing to invest in wind energy. E. Ramalingam, owner of a weaving unit in Rasipuram and president of the Rasipuram Cloth Manufacturers Association, have decided to invest around Rs. 1.05 crores in 225 Kv wind turbine. "We have already prepared the project and identified a site in Muppandal near Kanyakumari to install the windmill. We are awaiting for the clearance from the bank," Mr. Ramalingam says.

A number of fabric manufacturers in Jalakandapuram and Salem city have also decided to invest in wind energy. At present the weaving units are spending around Rs. 5 to Rs. 6 to produce a metre of cloth in the shuttleless looms, Cluster development executive of the Textile Committee, A. Dhanapal, says.

Rapid modernisation

The power consumption of many weaving units has gone up following the rapid modernisation and expansion of business. With the market becoming more competitive, the units are striving hard to reduce their cost of production so as to offer competitive prices.

The Salem region earns around Rs. 3,000 crores a year as revenue through dyed yarn woven fabrics export, which is 40 per cent of country's total dyed-yarn woven fabric trade.

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