The Hindu Business Line : Wind power body to set up panel to study infrastructure problems

THE Indian Wind Power Association, a representative body of those who have put up wind turbines, has decided to set up a committee to study infrastructure problems affecting the sector, especially in Tamil Nadu.

The committee, to be headed by Mr Yogesh Mehra, Managing Director, Enercon (India) Ltd, a wind turbine manufacturer and a member of the association, will study the evacuation problems in the States.

Due to the evacuation problems, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board has asked wind turbines to shut down for eight to 10 hours a day, during the peak wind season.

Mr P.R. Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha, Chairman, Indian Wind Power Association (IWPA), said the committee would study all aspects of the problem and work with the electricity board to see how best the issue could be sorted. The TNEB has said that it is investing Rs 166 crore in improving the transmission capacity.

At the annual general meeting of the association here today, members expressed concern over the evacuation problem, because of which those who have invested in wind turbines are losing heavily.

The members passed a resolution asking State electricity boards to immediately improve infrastructure to evacuate power generated by the wind turbines. The association also wanted electricity boards to buy a minimum of 25 per cent of their total power requirement from renewable energy sources.

Through other resolutions, the IWPA wanted benefits of the technology upgradation fund scheme for the textile industry to be extended once again to wind turbines, as was done till recently. It also wanted the accelerated depreciation of 80 per cent to be enhanced to 100 per cent.

The association wanted the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources to extend concessions as was available to industries in backward areas to facilitate wind turbines to come up in new areas, as the best sites were getting saturated. It wanted applications for carbon emission reductions for wind electric generation to be given top priority and processed without delay to meet the deadline of UNFCCC (United Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention) registration by December 31.

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