The Hindu Business Line : NTPC to pump Rs 6,000 cr into renewable energy

Green power
NTPC plans to set up wind energy capacity of around 250 MW, with the first project likely to be a 50 MW wind farm.
It also plans to add 30-50 MW from geothermal power projects and 35 MW from small biomass and solar sources

New Delhi June 8 NTPC has lined up plans to invest Rs 6,000 crore in creating 1,000 MW of renewable energy capacity over the next 10 years.

The move could potentially transform the thermal major into the country's largest green power producer in the coming years.

Besides the hydro sector, where the company plans to invest a bulk of its renewable energy resources and has already made a foray, the key thrust area would be wind energy.

Other areas where NTPC is eyeing opportunities include geo-thermal energy and small biomass projects, officials said.

The company plans to set up wind energy capacity of around 250 MW, with the first project likely to be a 50 MW wind farm.

The company is likely to go in for onshore wind power projects in the first phase, with the possibility of offshore wind farms expected to be looked at subsequently, the officials added.

Locations along the country's western and southern coastlines are considered ideal for setting wind farms and NTPC is currently evaluating possible locations for the first project.

While wind projects have short gestation periods of around a year, compared with projects based on conventional fuels such as coal that can take up to four years to build, high initial costs have been a deterrent for players.

NTPC plans to pool power from expensive sources including wind power and other renewable sources with generation from conventional fuel to lower the cost of power supply to consumers.

India, the fourth largest wind power generator, is planning to double its wind power generation to 10,000 MW by the end of the current fiscal. The country's wind power generation capacity is estimated at 5,340 MW till March 2007.

NTPC also plans to add 30-50 MW from geothermal power projects and 35 MW from small biomass and solar sources.

The company's current total capacity of 27,000 MW is generated entirely from coal and gas.

Besides NTPC, other major players who have forayed into the wind energy segment include Tata Power, HPCL and ONGC.

While Tata Power is setting up a 100-MW wind farm in Maharashtra with ADB's assistance, HPCL and ONGC are looking at wind farms of 100-150 MW at various sites along the southern and western coastlines.

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