State looking to regain top slot in wind energy with policy initiatives: Tangedco chief

State looking to regain top slot in wind energy with policy initiatives: Tangedco chief

Tamil Nadu is confident of regaining its pole position in wind energy through a slew of policy incentives, said Rajesh Lakhoni, Chairman and Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Ltd. (Tangedco).

Gujarat has surpassed Tamil Nadu to become the top State in terms of installed wind power capacity. They are ahead by a few 100 megawatts, he pointed out in his special address at the inaugural day of Windergy India 2023, a three-day trade fair and conference held in Chennai.

Mr. Lakhoni said that Tamil Nadu had a unique advantage when compared to other States with wind power as it was available round the clock for three to four months.

During the recent wind energy season, 40% of the power requirement was met through wind energy and coal power plants were shut during the period, he said.

When offshore wind energy comes on stream, the wind energy availability will be from June-February and the dependence of coal-based plants will reduce further, Mr. Lakhoni said.

He pointed out that with the availability of wind power, a hybrid model of wind and solar might not work out for Tamil Nadu. Instead, the State has been looking at pumped storage and also to bring out a policy to incentivise solar generation, Mr. Lakhoni said.

Tamil Nadu will also soon bring out a repowering policy for replacing ageing wind turbines, he said.