Anantapur, turning wind energy hub of AP

Anantapur, turning wind energy hub of AP
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The government of Andhra Pradesh has identified 32 locations in the State which are suitable for setting up wind energy plants.

Anantapur: The government of Andhra Pradesh has identified 32 locations in the State which are suitable for setting up wind energy plants. While 25 locations are in Anantapur, the remaining seven places are located in the districts of Kurnool, Nellore, Kadapa and Visakhapatnam. Anantapur has acquired the tag of non-conventional energy hub with promoters making a beeline to invest in the district.

As one traverses through the regions of Kalyandurg, Uravakonda, Kadiri and Ramagiri, one can find giant wind fans dotting the landscape giving visitors the impression of being in an ‘energy city’. While the wind power projects commissioned up to March, 2015 March were producing wind energy to the order of 792.94 MW, another 401.10 MW capacity was commissioned, post the financial year 2015-16.

The wind projects commissioned post 2015 are located at Atmakur, Beluguppa, Honnuru, Kalyandurg, Kudair, Pottipadu, Singanamala, Talaricheruvu, Tallimadugula and Vajrakaruru. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) IS PAYING Rs 4.70 per unit to the developers.

This rate will be applicable for the next 25 years. According to an estimate, the gross potential of 8275 MW and technical potential of 2100 MW can be exploited in the State provided there is 1 percent land availability and 20 percent grid penetration.

The department of New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (NREDCAP), Anantapur is the authorized agency for the entire state for conducting field studies and determining suitability of a region for wind energy projects. The district NREDCAP personnel have the expertise and experience by virtue of having supervised wind energy projects for over three decades.

Ramagiri and Tallimadugula are the two locations in the district where wind power projects had been established two decades ago. As many as 17 companies had established plants here with a combined capacity of 100 MW of wind power.

Speaking to The Hans India, NREDCAP district manager Kodandarama Murthy said that the criterion for setting up a wind energy generation plant was availability of 150 watts of wind density, 50 meters above the ground.

Unidirectional flow of wind and accessibility to a power grid were the two key features in wind energy generation, he said and added that State government was planning to tap 2000 MW of wind power throughout the State in different locations by conducting wind-monitoring studies.

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