Pvt sector investment in wind power looks up

KOLKATA: With the West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commissions (WBERC) new directive that at least 2 per cent of electricity generation by utilities has to come from renewable energy sources, the prospects of private sector investment in wind power are looking up. Already, a 1000 hectares of land with moderate wind speed have been identified in East.

Midnapore and South 24 Parganas for wind power generation,_ said Mr S.P Gon Chaudhuri, director, West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA). He was speaking at a business meet organised by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry and NEG Micon.

Unlike places like Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, where the buy-back tariff ranges between Rs 2.90 to Rs 3.50 per unit, in West Bengal, the tariff is most attractive at Rs 4. What_s more, besides captive consumption, there is a ready market available by way of SEBs (Stand-alone Business Propositions) including utilities. Apart from the existing wind farm in Frasergunj, other potential sites for wind power generation in West Bengal have been identified in Digha and Gangasagar.

According to Prof Sujay Basu, former director, School of Energy Studies, Jadavpur University, a 2002 research document by Greenpeace states that by 2020, 12 per cent of the worlds electricity generation would come from wind power. In real terms, that represents around 2500 billion units of wind power.

In India, nearly 1700 MW of wind power capacity was added last year, representing the largest one-time increase. Investments so far in this sector have been to the tune of Rs 800 crore. Incidentally, tax benefits in wind power investment allow companies and individuals to avail of 80 per cent accelerated depreciation on their investment in the first year.