The Green Energy Corridor Phase-III is set to be the biggest renewable energy project in the world, for which the Centre has allotted ₹54,000 crore, including ₹6,000 for battery energy storage system to prevent wastage of renewable power said Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi at the Chennai Trade Centre on Thursday.
Inaugurating Windergy India 2026 and trade fair, Mr. Joshi said the project would help various States tap renewable energy sources, including wind and solar, at the lowest cost of ₹5 per unit, against the fixed cost of ₹6 for fossil fuel-based power.
In view of the country ambitious target of generating 100 giga watt (GW) of installed wind capacity by 2030, the Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers’ Association (IWTMA) and PDA Ventures Private limited organised the conference on the theme ‘Wind-Power India’s Energy Resilience’.
Appreciating the IWTMA for the consistent growth shown in the capacity augmentation as well as generation of wind energy, the Union Minister said the country added 90 GW of renewable energy over the past two years, with wind energy contributing a major portion.
Even when the geo-political situation was not conducive to industrial growth, the country witnessed a strong industrial output due to steady growth in energy supply and wanted the State government to come out with a report to help repower the wind turbines of the State, he added.
Energy Resources Minister C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar said the State, being a pioneer in commercial wind energy sector, wanted companies to come forward to set up more wind farms, for which corridors have been identified.
He said the wind turbines that were installed 20 years ago have aged and the State has found out that repowering these wind turbines alone could help in increasing the generation capacity to 6,000 to 7,000 mega watt (MW) within two years.
Citing the high demand for power in recent months, which has led to Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh purchasing power at high cost, Mr. Nirmal Kumar called for a national energy-demand forecasting system to help avoid such expensive purchases.
Mayank Tewari, Additional Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, said the State should take steps for setting up offshore wind energy, citing a dearth of land to set up wind power plants. The Central government had identified Gujarat and Tamil Nadu for exploring offshore wind energy projects, he said.
Girish Tanti, Chairman of IWTMA and Vice Chairman of Suzlon Group, said the annual installation of wind energy has been growing year on year, with the capacity cumulative addition by 2030 set to cross the target of 100 GW.
Vice Chairman of IWTMA Saravanan Manickam was also present on the occasion.
