ONGC, HPCL, REL bet big on wind energy
Saturday, 19 March , 2005, 09:42
New Delhi: Mega companies Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Reliance Energy and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) are among those betting big on the potential of the wind energy sector and, along with equipment major Suzlon, are toying with the idea of setting up large capacity wind parks in the country.
HPCL is planning to roll out a 100-MW wind park project across the country in three to four phases.
The company is looking at Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh for setting up the project and would kick-start full-fledged commercial operations by selling the power to the grid or to state electricity boards through bilateral contracts, industry players said. It is looking to float tenders inviting developers to execute the project on a turnkey basis, they added. ONGC is also betting heavily on the wind energy sector and is planning to replace nearly half of the 350-MW of electricity that it draws from the grid, for operations in six States, with wind power. The company is looking at setting up two wind farms of around 150 MW for captive consumption in Gujarat, industry sources said.
It has already launched a pilot project for harnessing wind energy at select rigs and wells on the west coast. Reliance Energy Ltd, which has already commissioned an 8.37-MW Wind Farm Project at Jogimatti in Karnataka, is looking to give a bigger impetus to wind energy generation, an industry source said.
Equipment manufacturer Suzlon is also planning a wind park in Gujarat. The company has already commissioned Asia's largest wind park - the 201-MW Vankusawade Wind Park in Satara, Maharashtra.
With action on the wind energy sector picking up, equipment major GE has also entered the business in the country. GE Energy is supplying 18 1.5-MW units for Nuziveedu Seeds Ltd's wind power project.
