Two major ports in Tamil Nadu are planning to set up captive wind farms at a combined investment of around Rs 82 crore.
While Chennai port has proposed a 7.5 Mega watt wind farm, Tuticorin port will set up a 6Mw farm.
Speaking to Business Standard, Chennai Port Trust chairman Subhash Kumar said the wind farm would come up at Veppilian Kulam in Tirunelveli district. The port has called for bids and hopes to place the order for wind mills by December.
The project is estimated to cost Rs 40.73 crore and would require around 11-12 acre of land, Kumar said. The farm would cater to 50 per cent of the port’s power need, which is around 15 Mw per annum.
Kumar said the port would save around Rs 8 crore on power every year by setting up its own farm. The production cost would be Rs 2 per KwH and savings Rs 4 per KwH.
On the other hand, Tuticorin port has issued a tender for its project and six companies, including Vestas and Suzlon, have participated in the pre-bid. The total project cost would be Rs 42 crore, said G J Rao, chairman, Tuticorin Port Trust.
Tuticorin port requires around 5 Mw per annum. “The project will go on stream by the end of 2010,” said Rao.