MNRE commissions the first inter-state wind power plant in India

Besides SECI and NTPC being central agencies, the State agencies of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat have brought out bids and awarded projects based on tendering.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy today said 126 MW wind power capacity, part of country's first interstate transmission system (ISTS) auction, is commissioned in Bhuj.

State-run Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI) had conducted India's first auction of wind power projects in February 2017 in which tariff of Rs 3.46 was discovered, which was much lower than feed-in tariffs in vogue those days, a ministry statement said.

This was a 1,000 MW bid for projects to be connected on ISTS (inter-state transmission system) wherein power generated from one state (renewable resource-rich state) could be transmitted to other renewable deficient states. Mytrah, Inox, Ostro, Green Infa and Adani were winners under this auction.

As a part of this bid, Ostro Kutch Wind Private Ltd has issued a letter of award on April 5, 2017, for a capacity of 250 MW, with commissioning period of 18 months. Apart capacity of 126 MW, located in Bhuj (Gujarat) was commissioned by Ostro on August 24, 2018, ahead of schedule. The energy generated from this project is being purchased by Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.

The first auction also signified a major shift from the earlier regime of state-specific feed-in-Tariff (FiT) model to a Pan-India, market-driven mechanism. Beginning with this tender, the SECI has brought out five tenders for wind power projects of cumulative capacity of 7250 MW, of which 6050 MW capacity has been awarded.

Besides SECI and NTPC being central agencies, the State agencies of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat have brought out bids and awarded projects based on tendering.

This 126 MW ISTS project marks the beginning of capacity additions in wind power based on market discovered tariffs, in line with the Government's plan of having 175 GW renewable energy by 2022.

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