Wind Energy

Tamil Nadu Govt seeks private players support to construct wind power infra

Tamil Nadu government has sought the help of private players to set up infrastructure for wind power evacuation in Tamil Nadu. The government is looking at setting up 230KV to 400KV substations to carry the power from generation points to distribution centres. Speaking at a seminar on sustainable energy for economic growth organised by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (on Friday, state power minister Natham R Viswanathan, said that the state’s wind farm generation capacity was 6,067MW. Of this, nearly 300MW is not used due to evacuation problems.

To strengthen the grid that carries electricity generated from wind turbines, the government is planning to set up sub-stations and transmission lines at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore. "We have private players in generation. Now we are planning to involve them in transmission and distribution too," he said.

Viswanathan invited companies to invest in Tamil Nadu without fear of power shortage. He said that the state will have surplus power after 2012. tnn

He said that in the next five years, 23,000MW will be added to the grid. The power demand in the state was growing at 7%, but there was no proportional growth in the generation sector. The installed capacity is 10,237MW and generation is 8,000MW. The demand is 10,500MW. "Our government has formulated short, interim and long term plans to solve the power crisis in the state," he said.

During the inauguration of the seminar, Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) chairman Hans Raj Verma has asked private players to set up coastal power generation plants in the state. Verma said Tamil Nadu had a long coastline and many ports, so it would be easy to import coal from Indonesia and Australia.

He said the proximity of the sea would ensure that the thermal plants did not face shortage of water. "Tamil Nadu does not have a coal mine, but coal can be imported as we have good ports," said Verma.

He said private firms can play a role in wind power evacuation. Tamil Nadu has a wind power generating capacity of 6,012MW and there is still potential for producing more. But the challenge is to carry the generated power to distribution points without wastage. "If the grid infrastructure can be strengthened, we can utilize every unit generated," said Verma.

State energy secretary Ramesh Kumar Khanna said 4,640MW will be added to the grid by the end of 2012. The state is also gearing for a capacity addition of 8,900MW. Khanna said the state will soon come up with a renewable energy policy which would include solar power. "We are also trying to reduce transmission loss from 18.5% to 18.1%," he said.