Mar 8 2010
State-owned company, Gail India, is all set to commence wind power generation in April 2010 from its first wind power plant with a capacity of 4.5 MW located in Kutch district in the state of Gujarat, India. Gail is the largest natural gas transportation company in India.
According to a Gail official, development of two power plants that utilizes natural gas is also under consideration by company. The proposed power plants with capacities between 250 MW and 1000 MW are to come up in Usar and Bettiah in the states of Maharashtra and Bihar, respectively.
BC Tripathi, Chairman and Managing Director of Gail, confirmed the commercial wind power production from its first wind power plant and commented that it is part of Gail’s diversification strategy. The company will be developing solar power plants and is concentrating on power production through several non-conventional energy sources, he added.
India has launched a Rs. 4,337-crore solar mission in November 2009 under the National Action Plan on Climate Change. The objective of the solar mission is to generate 1,000 MW of solar energy by the year 2013 and 20,000 MW by 2022. Government is supporting the companies that are developing solar power projects with several benefits under the program.
The wind power plant at Kutch was commissioned by Suzlon and comprises three 1.5-MW wind turbine generators manufactured by Suzlon. The power produced from the plant will be utilized for its plants in Gujarat and is anticipated to meet about 30% of the electricity needs of the company in the Gujarat, according to an official from Gail.