India is expected to expand its wind-based power plant capacity by 6,000 Mw by 2012, but this could still be below the eleventh plan target for this period, a latest report says.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has fixed a target of 10,500 mega watts between 2007-12, but an additional generation capacity of only about 6,000 Mw might be available for commercial use by 2012, as per research and project investment database firm ProjectsToday.
This assumption is based on the progress at the ongoing projects and the plans announced by public and private sectors, it said.
"The shortfall in wind power generated could be due to lack of availability of land for wind farms and the currently planned captive consumption could be used by others if government provides transmission facilities," ProjectsToday CEO Shashikant Hegde said.
During the 10th Plan (2002-2007), India saw installation of 5,426 Mw of wind power generation capacity, as against the target of 2,200 Mw.
However, accountancy major KPMG Advisory Services' Associate Director Santosh Kamath said that the 11th plan period target of 10,500 additional capacity seems "feasible" as the country is currently adding 1,800-2,000 Mw per year.
"The robust growth in the country's wind power generation is largely driven by the incentives provided by the government to companies which set up wind power farms," he added.
India is currently the fourth largest generator of wind power in the world with a capacity of 8,696 Mw, even ahead of China's 5,899 Mw, ProjectsToday said.