Tata Power to add 200 MW wind power capacity in FY'11

Private sector power major, Tata Power Company Limited (TPCL), has disclosed plans to add 150-200 MW worth of wind power capacity to its generation portfolio during the ongoing 2010-11 fiscal. This would largely comprise of 150 MW of wind power plants in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The company is also in the process of acquiring wind assets totaling to 20.95 MW in Maharashtra, from Niskalp Energy.

Currently, Tata Power has an installed wind-based generation capacity of 200 MW, spread across the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka. A total of 100 MW capacity is based in Maharashtra, while Gujarat and Karnataka, each, contain 50 MW of such projects. “The company is progressing as planned on the path of renewable energy and today around 20% of the power generated is from ‘clean’ sources, which we will increase to 25% in 3-4 years. Today our wind portfolio is 200 MW and going forward we intend to add substantially to our renewables portfolio," Prasad Menon, Managing Director, TPCL.

While wind power generated in Gujarat and Karnataka is sold through long term power-purchase-agreements (PPA) with the state discoms, the wind power generated by its Maharashtra projects are sold to Tata Power’s distribution unit in Mumbai. Maharashtra is one of the leading states for wind power generation. The company’s wind farms in Maharashtra are located at Visapur and Sadawaghapur in the Satara district, Khandke and Supa in the Ahmednagar district, and Bramanvel in the Dhulia district.