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THE TAMIL Nadu government'sdecision to encourage private industries to set up wind turbines hasreceived a good response and with anincreasing number of industries rushing to buy land, prices, have boomedin the two areas developed for windfarming - Muppandal in Kanniya-kumari di'strict and Kayattar inChidambaranar district.
Tamil Nadu generates the highestamount of electricity from windenergy and has an installed capacityof 25 MW, of which 7.5 MW is generated by wind farms run by 18 privatefirms. This year alone about 20 MWis expected to be added by privatewind farms. The state government'has projected an increase to 150 MWof installed capacity of wind powerduring the Eighth Plan, with the private sector contributing half thepower.
The state has moved ahead inwind energy generation mainlybecause all of Tamil Nadu is servedby one power grid. Hence, powergenerated by a firm in Kayattar orMuppandal and fed into the stategrid can be withdrawn by the firmand supplied to its factory locatedelsewhere. This makes it worthwhilefor industries to invest in wind energy turbines at faraway sites. Says KSuresh, materials manager at TeeEstates, Coonoor, "The facilityoffered by the state grid for wheelingand banking has been a great help."
Following the recent budgetannouncement of a five-year tax holiday on profits from private sectorpower units, this sector is expectedto increase its involvement in nonconventional energy generation evenmore. Wind energy companies canwrite off their entire investment inthe first year itself.
Union minister for non-conventional energy sources S KrishnaKumar, announced in Madras recently that a massive plan for non-conventional energy source developmentis on the anvil and World Bank assistance of US $200 million is likely tocome through for the entire project.
Because wind farms need adequate wind velocity, all activity at present is concentrated at Muppandal and Kayattar, two of the three areas in the state with adequate wind velocity. All three benefits from high-velocity, wasterly winds blowing through three narrow gaps in the Western Ghats. But, as V Krishnamurthi, a senior Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency official, said, "It is only at Muppandal and Kayattar that infrastructural facilities are available."
Land prices are soaring in the wake of the government decision.Says R Velusamy, special officer for wind energy development with the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, "Land that cost about Rs 15,000 per hectare in 1987-88, when TNEB started itswork on wind energy, now costs more than Rs 125,000 at Muppandal. InKayattar, the price has risen. fromRs 74.70 to Rs 1,494 per hectare."
Muppandal land fetches higherwesterly winds prices because the wind potentialhere is greater. S Subramaniam,hccounts manager of Atlanta Foods,disclosed his company paidRs 70,000 to buy about half a hectarein Muppandalto install a wind generator.
Private industries in Tamil Nadusee happy days ahead and SouthIndia Viscose, one of the state'smajor companies, has plans fora gradual increase in electricityproduction to 10 MW. Obviously.Hard-pressed TNEB is not complaining either.