Gujarat govt announces new wind energy policy

Gandhinagar, June 9 (UNI) Gujarat government has announced its new wind energy policy for the next five years starting from June 20, which would allow entrepreneurs to sell excess electricity to anyone including state-run Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd.

With the changed wind energy policy, the Gujarat government is targeting to achieve 4,000 MW of wind energy by 2010.

The new wind energy policy has been formulated as the existing policy will expire on June 19.

The new policy encourages private players to invest in this sector and for the first time private players will be allowed to sell the energy even to a third party customers.

In order to woo investors, the government has also decided to increase the power tariff from wind energy producers at Rs 3.37 per unit as against the existing rate of Rs 2.67.

State Energy Minister Saurabh Patel said between 1993 and 1998 only 113 MW wind energy was produced in the State while the energy produced till 2006-07 had risen to 568 MW.

He said memorandum of understandings (MoUs) worth over Rs 16,000 crore were signed with private players during last year's 'Gujarat Summit' to enter into the wind energy market to produce 4,000 MW wind energy by 2010.

He said the government has entrusted the New Delhi-based 'The Energy and Resources Institute' to chalkout a detailed strategy for the development of non-conventional energy resources in the State.

UNI