Tamil Nadu will be able to add 13 GW of wind capacity by 2030 in a base case scenario and may require about ₹700 billion investments, with the potential to create 77,000 direct and 1.18 lakh indirect jobs, according to a report titled “Tamil Nadu Wind Energy Road Map.”

If the legacy challenges that are detrimental to wind capacity addition persist further, the state may only be able to add 4 GW of new wind capacity by 2030. Consequently, it may lose its dominant share in India’s installed wind capacity, said the report, which was commissioned by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and authored by Deloitte with the support of SED Fund and Guidance TN.

Interventions are required to keep the wind capacity at its current share of 24 per cent and retain the dominant position of the state in the wind power segment. If the capacity additions in the wind sector are indeed realised, then the state has huge potential to attract investments and employment.

The State’s power demand is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6 per cent in the coming decade. Its peak demand is expected to grow by about 30 per cent in the next five years. The majority of the incremental demand is likely to be met through renewables. The state has 124 GW of wind power potential, of which 103 GW (68 GW onshore and 35 GW offshore) is wind energy and 17 GW is solar energy.

“The State has so far harnessed only one-tenth of its wind power potential and one-third of solar potential. So there’s enough opportunity abundantly available in the state to stay as a climate champion,” Martand Shardul, Policy Director, GWEC India.

With 9.6 GW of installed wind power capacity, Tamil Nadu is the leader in this segment in the country. It is home to India’s 51 per cent of captive wind installed capacity and 17 per cent of its captive solar capacity, while it also stations 27 per cent of the country’s captive thermal generation capacity.

However, Tamil Nadu has added less than 400 MW of wind power capacity in the last five years.

Fostering the transition from thermal to renewable energy is the need of the hour for Tamil Nadu, as about 50 per cent of the state’s emissions come from the power generation sector. Also, the State needs to focus on four other areas to realise its ambitions for adding wind capacity and they include the manufacturing of green technology, the greening of manufacturing, green hydrogen, and a green transition tracker, it said.

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