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India Wind Energy

New Record-low Tariff Expected As Indian Wind Energy Tender Is Over-subscribed Three Times

written by saurabh

Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) responsible to conduct wind energy auctions in India has seen tremendous response to the latest 1 gigawatt tender.

According to media reports, project developers have placed bids to set up a total of 2,898 megawatts against an offered capacity of 1,000 megawatts. The actual auction will take place soon, following some clarifications from the central regulator. This is the second wind energy auction undertaken in India at the central government level. The first auction took place in February this year.

The tender was oversubscribed with total 13 developers submitted bids equivalent to 2.6 gigawatts in comparison to 1 gigawatts bids called for. Bids were received from major giants including Adani Power, Hero Future Energies, Renew Power and Inox Wind. Most of the developers i.e. 69% bid to set up projects in the state of Tamil Nadu.

The first-ever wind energy auction in India yielded the lowest-ever tariffs of Rs 3.46/kWh (5.2¢/kWh). Four companies – Mytrah Energy, Green Infra (owned by Sembcorp), Inox Wind and Ostro Energy were awarded 250 megawatts capacity each while Adani Green Energy secured rights to develop 50 megawatts capacity. This tariff is significantly lower than the tariffs currently being paid by various power distribution companies across India.

At least four developers that won projects in the first auction – Inox Wind, Green Infra, Mytrah Energy, and Adani Green Energy – have submitted bids to set up 250 megawatt capacity each in the second auction as well. Some of the other major players in the Indian market to have submitted bids include ReNew Power Ventures, Orange Renewable, Continuum Energy and Hero Future Energies. Enel Green Energy is also believed to have submitted a bid.

All but two project developers have reportedly mentioned Tamil Nadu or Gujarat as the host state for the projects.

With such a huge response to the tender experts believe that tariff bids could drop to a new low. With the success of such competitive auctions the state governments, too, have decided to launch their own auctions. Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have launched their respective tenders under the state government’s policy to meet renewable purchase obligation.

With the sharp fall in tariff bids compared to the prevailing feed-in tariffs for wind energy projects, several state governments have refused to sign power purchase agreements with under-construction or soon-to-be-commissioned wind projects.

July 25, 2017 0 comment

Insolvency Scare For Indian Wind Company Inox Amidst Shift To Competitive Auctions

written by saurabh

Clouds of insolvency are hovering over Inox Wind’s future as the wind energy sector in India decisively moves from feed-in tariff regime to competitive auctions.

Inox Wind, an integrated wind energy solutions provider in India, has claimed that it is in ‘excellent’ financial health after a government body ordered to initiate insolvency proceedings against the company. The government body was forced to take the decision after the company failed to make payment for import shipment of some products.

“Except for a simple denial in response sent by the respondent, there are no other circumstances which can be considered to say that the corporate debtor has raised a dispute”, Inox Wind said in a statement while announcing its plan to challenge the order.

Inox Wind had reported a 23% decline in revenue for FY2016-17 to Rs 3,415 crore ($530 million) while net profit fell by 34% to Rs 302 crore ($47 million) during the same period. In May, the company had stated that it a large percentage of its portfolio would take a hit as the market moves from feed-in tariff regime to competitive auctions.

The first wind energy auction in India saw significant competition among bidders who were willing to set up more than twice the capacity on offer. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy announced an aggressive roadmap to auction 5-6 gigawatts wind capacity every year.

Inox, itself, secured rights to develop 250 megawatts project in that state of Gujarat in the first-ever auction. The company would receive Rs 3.46/kWh (5.2¢/kWh) as tariff, the lowest for any project in India, ever.

Seeing the aggressive bidding by the project developers several state regulators hit breaks on under-construction projects. State utilities, with backing from the regulators, refused to sign power purchase agreements for these projects. This placed several hundred megawatts wind energy capacity in limbo.

Now, several states have announced that wind energy projects shall be contracted through competitive auctions only and no feed-in tariffs will be offered to wind projects. With a large number of companies operational in the Indian wind energy sector and market share skewed heavily in favour of biggies like Gamesa and Suzlon Energy, it is likely that smaller players, including Inox Wind, could face increased pressure on margins, and thus profits.

July 20, 2017 0 comment

Indian State Generates Record Wind Power, Forced To Shut Thermal Power Projects

written by saurabh

The monsoon season in India brings with it very high wind speeds, especially in the southern part of country. This year it has enabled record wind power generation in at least one of the states.

Tamil Nadu reported highest-ever wind energy generation in the country. The state experienced more than 5,000 megawatts of wind power for more than 2 hours on 11 July. The highest wind generation was recorded at 7 in the evening as 5,079 megawatts.

The high wind energy generation forced the state utility to shutdown 1,020 megawatts of thermal power capacity and operate several other power plants at half of their capacity.

With a total demand of less than 14,000 megawatts on 11 July evening, wind power fulfilled more than a third of the total demand. The total energy generated from wind energy projects that day was 84.5 million kWh, which translates into 28% of the total electricity consumed in the state. The electricity generation was slightly lower than the all-time record of 99.5 million kWh.

Tamil Nadu has the largest installed wind energy capacity among all Indian states. The state has had several transmission issues, especially during the monsoon season, for absorbing all the wind energy generated. But the situation seems to have improved significantly now as has been demonstrated by the high share of wind energy procurement.

Things may have also improved due to an advisory issued by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy which termed solar and wind energy projects as ‘must run’. This means that state utilities are obligated to procure electricity from renewable energy projects even if they have to shutdown thermal power plants.

July 15, 2017 0 comment

World’s Largest Coal Miner To Shut 37 Loss-making Mines In India

written by saurabh

Coal India, the largest coal producing company in the world, recently announced plans to shutdown some mines that are no longer economically viable.

Government-owned Coal India recently informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that it will shut 37 underground mines as it is financially unviable to continue mining coal from them. The company plans to shut these mines by March 2018.

These mines comprise of about 9% of the total mines operational under Coal India. Media reports quoting industry sources stated that the company is expected to realise savings of Rs 800 crore ($124 million).

Coal India’s provisional production in 2016-17 was 554.13 million tonnes against a target of 598.61 million tonnes and recording a growth rate of 2.9 per cent. Of this underground mining contributed to around 31 million tonnes.

While underground mines have their own set of constraints and hurdles which significantly increase the cost of production, increased competition from renewable energy technologies, where fuel cost is nil, could also be a contributing factor.

Increased Competition From Renewable Energy

Earlier this year, solar power tariffs in India fell 26% over a period of 3 months as project developers placed extremely competitive bids for large-scale projects. The current lowest solar power tariff in India stands at Rs 2.44/kWh (3.8¢/kWh).

Wind energy tariffs in the first-ever auction organised by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy were also substantially lower than the feed-in tariffs enforced by various states. The current lowest wind energy tariff bid in India is Rs 3.46/kWh (5.4¢/kWh) and is expected to fall further as 5-6 gigawatts wind energy capacity is planned to be auctioned every year till 2022.

Recent reports also stated that almost 14 gigawatts of planned coal-based power plants were shelved in India over financial viability concerns.

Renewable energy capacity addition, too, increased at a much faster rate in FY2016-17 compared to coal-based power plants.

A total of 6,990 megawatts of coal-based power capacity was added in India in FY2016-17 while the thermal power capacity addition during the financial year stood at 7,655 megawatts. In comparison, 14,140 megawatts of renewable energy capacity was added in the same period.

Coal India itself is planning to set up large-scale solar power projects. The company is expected to set up at least 1 gigawatts solar power capacity in the near future.

June 18, 2017 0 comment

End Of Wind Energy Feed-in Tariffs In India?

written by saurabh

With the Indian government planning to organised an increasing number of reverse auctions for wind energy projects, several states are rethinking whether to continue with the feed-in tariffs at all.

Karnataka has become the latest state to ask its power utilities not to sign any new power purchase agreements with wind energy developers at feed-in tariffs. Regulatory bodies in Indian state have asked power utilities to procure wind energy only up to the renewable purchase obligation targets and no more.

The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission had set the feed-in tariff for wind energy projects as Rs 4.50/kWh (7.0¢/kWh) till October 2018. However, the recent auction conducted by the central government saw developers willing to pay as low as Rs 3.46/kWh (5.4¢/kWh). According to media reports, the commission believes a tariff of Rs 3.61/kWh (5.6¢/kWh) is more acceptable.

States of Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh have declined to sign any fresh power purchase agreements with wind energy project developers. The power distribution companies in these states have expressed reluctance to the respective regulatory bodies in signing PPAs at feed-in tariffs higher than the recently discovered tariffs.

Four companies – Mytrah Energy, Green Infra (owned by Sembcorp), Inox Wind and Ostro Energy were awarded 250 megawatts capacity each while Adani Green Energy secured rights to develop 50 megawatts capacity.

India plans to have an installed wind energy capacity of 60 gigawatts by March 2022 while the current installed capacity is just over 32 gigawatts. To achieve that target, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy shall auction five to six gigawatts capacity every year. One gigawatt capacity has already been auctioned while the Ministry is expected to put on the block an additional four gigawatts capacity by March 2018.

June 18, 2017 0 comment

India’s Largest Port Plans 200 Megawatt Solar-Wind Energy Park

written by saurabh

India’s largest port (by volume handled) could soon be powered by renewable energy, the Minister for Shipping and Transport Nitin Gadkari recently stated.

Government officials are assessing the possibility of setting up a solar-wind energy park to power the seaport of Kandla, located in the west Indian state of Gujarat. In addition to meeting its own power demand the port may also be able to sell renewable energy to other buyers.

Minister Gadkari stated that the solar-wind energy park could be commissioned over an area of 150,000 acres with the total installed capacity of around 200 megawatts; Gadkari did not share the likely split between solar and wind energy at the park.

Gadkari noted that the solar power tariffs have crashed in India over the last few months and the port could use the surplus land to develop large-scale renewable energy projects.

Since February this year four major solar power auctions have taken place in India with the lowest tariff bids falling by as much as 26% between the first and the latest auction. The race to lower tariff bids has been fuelled primarily by the crash in solar module prices, regulatory support from the government and, perhaps, the promise and hope of cheap debt finance.

Interestingly, this proposed renewable energy park will have a capacity greater than the entire planned capacity addition at all seaports in India.

The Ministry of Shipping had announced that under the ‘Green Port Initiative’ a total of 136.5 megawatts of renewable energy projects will be implemented at a dozen major ports in the country. These include 91.5 megawatts solar power and 45 megawatts wind energy projects.

The Indian government is pushing for public sector companies and institutions to set up renewable energy projects. Any public sector company with surplus land is being asked to set up large-scale solar and wind energy projects. Meanwhile, the Ministry for Civil Aviation has announced that 143 airports in the country will set up a cumulative of 148 megawatts solar power capacity.

May 31, 2017 0 comment

Nordex, Senvion Bring New Wind Turbine Models To India

written by saurabh

With the Indian government looking to launch a major auction roadmap for the wind energy market several foreign wind turbine manufacturing companies are looking to capture a market share.

German turbine manufacturers Nordex and Senvion have announced the launch of new models in India. Interestingly, both these companies recently acquired other manufacturers. The new models are among the largest available in India and may attract project developers who cannot access high wind density project sites.

Senvion announced the launch of 2.3 megawatt and 2.4 megawatt turbines with rotor diameters between 110 meters and 124 meters. The turbines are based on platform developed by Kenersys, an Indian company acquired by Senvion last year, but optimised using Senvion technology.

Senvion took over a turbine manufacturing unit of Kenersys located in Maharashtra that has an annual production capacity of 250 megawatts. It will also took control of 220 MW of operational wind energy assets of the Indian company.

Nordex launched a 3 megawatt model designed on platform of Acciona Wind Power. The model will, again, be one of the largest capacity models available in the Indian market. Nodrex acquired the wind turbine manufacturing unit of Spanish utility Acciona in April 2016.

Both turbine manufacturers are eyeing project developers with low-wind sites. Almost all high wind density sites have already been grabbed under the feed-in tariff scheme. Central as well as state governments are now looking to shift to auction-based allocation of wind projects which will increase competition not only for tariffs as well as suitable project sites.

The Indian government recently concluded the first-ever auction in wind energy market which yielded the lowest-ever tariff of Rs 3.46/kWh (5.4¢/kWh). The government now plans to auction 4,000 megawatts wind energy capacity by March 2018 and 5,000-6,000 megawatts auction every year till 2022. This will help India reach installed capacity target of 60 gigawatts in the wind energy sector by March 2022.

April 25, 2017 0 comment

Indian Aluminium Major NALCO Plans 150 Megawatt Renewable Energy Park

written by saurabh

Government-owned National Aluminium Corporation (NALCO) is planning to set up 150 megawatts renewable energy project.

The Minister for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy in India recently announced that NALCO is looking to set up the project in the state of Odisha. The company is currently looking for a suitable project site and wants land allocation by the state government to be expedited.

The renewable energy park is expected to host solar as well as wind energy projects. NALCO operates several aluminium plants into Odisha and the power generated from the renewable energy park will likely be used for captive use. This will help the company meet its renewable purchase obligation.

India aims to have at least 15% of its total electricity consumption coming from renewable energy sources by 2022, including 8% from solar energy only.

Several government-owned companies are looking for develop renewable energy projects following a diktat from the central government. The long list of such companies include Coal India, NTPC, Indian Railways, NLC, Indian Oil Corporation and Oil India.

Last year, NALCO had announced plans to invest Rs 700 crore in renewable infrastructure. The company already operates wind energy projects in Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.

April 23, 2017 0 comment

India Plans 4,000 Megawatts Wind Energy Tender This Year

written by saurabh

Following the massive success of the first-ever wind energy tender, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy in India is planning to launch another tender this year four times the size.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India has announced that it will auction 4,000 megawatts of wind energy capacity this financial year, i.e. by March 2018. The agency shall offer this capacity to prospective project developers in multiple trenches. SECI is also expected to launch wind energy tenders of 5,000-6,000 megawatts every year till 2022.

India plans to have installed wind energy capacity of 60 gigawatts by March 2022, these auctions are will be aligned to achieve this goal. India’s current installed wind energy capacity stands at just over 32 gigawatts.

India added a record 5,400 megawatt wind energy capacity was added during the financial year 2016-17 (April 2016 to March 2017). This is 35% more than the envisaged target of 4,000 megawatts set at the start of the financial year. Between April 2016 and February 2017, a total of 2,374 megawatts of wind energy capacity was added. In March 2017 alone the capacity addition jumped to 3,026 megawatts.

Chairman of the Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (IWTMA) recently stated that a record 6,000 megawatts wind energy capacity is expected to be added in financial year 2017-18 which will be 11% higher than the 5,400 megawatt capacity added in 2016-17, also a record.

The first-ever wind energy auction in India yielded the lowest-ever tariffs of Rs 3.46/kWh (5.2¢/kWh). Four companies – Mytrah Energy, Green Infra (owned by Sembcorp), Inox Wind and Ostro Energy were awarded 250 megawatts capacity each while Adani Green Energy secured rights to develop 50 megawatts capacity.

April 23, 2017 0 comment

Gamesa Captures 38% Share In Wind Capacity Added In India

written by saurabh

Gamesa has reported a massive jump in installation numbers in India as it continued to dominate the crowded wind energy market.

According to media reports, Spanish wind turbine manufacturer recently announced that it installed 2,050 megawatts of wind energy capacity in India in FY2016-17 (between April 2016 and March 2017). This is the first time that any turbine manufacturer has been able to achieve the 2,000 megawatts milestone in a financial year.

India added a total of 5,400 megawatts of wind energy capacity; at 2,050 megawatts Gamesa captured an impressive share of 38%. The company has been India’s leading turbine manufacturer for the last several years. In FY2014-15, the company commissioned 657 megawatts while in FY2015-16 this capacity increased to 1,000 megawatts translating into 30% share in the Indian market.

The Indian wind energy sector has managed to beat the targeted capacity addition for the last two financial years and is expected to do so in the current financial year as well.

While being the largest supplier of wind turbines to the Indian market, Gamesa recently also participated in the first-ever wind energy auction in India. The company placed a bid to set up 250 megawatt capacity at a tariff of Rs 3.68/kWh (5.7¢/kWh). The company failed to make the cut as its bid was 6.4% higher than the lowest and winning bid.

April 21, 2017 0 comment

Indian States Look To Abandon Wind Feed-in Tariffs After Successful Auction

written by saurabh

Following a sharp correction tariff rates for wind energy projects in the first-ever competitive auction in India in February several states have refused to sign fresh power purchase agreements at higher feed-in tariffs.

According to media reports, states of Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh have declined to sign any fresh power purchase agreements with wind energy project developers. The power distribution companies in these states have expressed reluctance to the respective regulatory bodies in signing PPAs at feed-in tariffs higher than the recently discovered tariffs.

A total capacity of 500 megawatts is now reportedly stranded due to the unwillingness of power distribution companies to enter into PPAs.

The feed-in tariffs in FY2016-17 for Andhra Pradesh was Rs 4.84/kWh (7.5¢/kWh) and for Gujarat was Rs 4.19/kWh (6.5¢/kWh). The tariff discovered in the first-ever auction organised by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) was Rs 3.46/kWh (5.4¢/kWh). States determine their own feed-in tariffs but the tariff discovered in the auction shall be uniform across the country, irrespective of the wind energy potential of states.

Four companies – Mytrah Energy, Green Infra (owned by Sembcorp), Inox Wind and Ostro Energy were awarded 250 megawatts capacity each while Adani Green Energy secured rights to develop 50 megawatts capacity.

The Indian government is expected to launch similar auctions in the future and state governments may also adopt the route of competitive auctions to increase wind energy capacity instead of relying on feed-in tariff mechanism.

The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission has already directed the power distribution companies to procure wind and solar power through competitive auctions only. The feed-in tariffs determined by the regulator shall act at ceiling price in the auctions.

Image by vectoropenstock.com for Cleantechies

April 20, 2017 0 comment

India Issues Draft Guidelines For Wind Energy Auctions

written by saurabh

In an effort to incentivise power distribution companies to increase procurement of wind power the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy in India plans to implement a wind energy auction roadmap.

The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy recently issued draft guidelines for auction of wind energy projects and sought comments from various stakeholders. The guidelines are similar to the ones mentioned in the tender documents of the first-ever wind energy auction held in February this year.

As per the proposals of the Ministry, any wind energy developer can bid for minimum 5 megawatts capacity at a single site and at least 25 megawatts capacity in an auction. The power distribution company looking to acquire electricity is free to choose the tariff structure for the auction.

The power purchase agreement shall not be for less than 25 years. In case of under-performance by the wind energy project the developer shall have be liable to penalties.

Significantly for the project developers, the guidelines also specifically mention clauses related to payment security. Non-payment of dues is perhaps the biggest challenge the Indian renewable energy sector faces today. Payment security measures proposed by the Indian government would lend much needed support to the project developers. These measures could include a Payment Security Fund and guarantees issued by the state governments themselves.

Project developers may also receive compensation if they are unable to feed the grid due to lack of adequate transmission capacity at any given time. This will help address another major challenge faced by the renewable energy projects which are often forced to reduce generation by power distribution companies.

The sharp fall in tariffs discovered through the auction have resulted in several states backing-out from commitments to sign new power purchase agreements. Power distribution companies in the states of Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh have declined to sign any fresh PPAs with wind energy project developers. The power distribution companies in these states have expressed reluctance to the respective regulatory bodies in signing PPAs at feed-in tariffs higher than the recently discovered tariffs.

April 18, 2017 0 comment

India’s Wind Energy Capacity To Double In 5 Years, Meet 60 Gigawatts Target, Says Industry Giant

written by saurabh

The future of Indian wind energy sector remains bright and is expected to easily achieve the installed capacity targets announced by the government by 2022, chairman of one of the leading wind energy companies in India has stated.

Tulsi Tanti, Chairman-Suzlon Group, recently stated that India’s wind energy capacity would nearly double from current 32 gigawatts to 60 gigawatts over the next five years. The Indian government has set a target for 60 gigawatts operational wind energy capacity by March 2022.

A record 5,400 megawatts wind energy capacity was added in India in financial year 2016-17. The capacity addition beat target of 4,000 megawatts by an impressive 35%. India added 3,423 megawatts wind energy capacity in 2015-16 against a target of 2,400 megawatts.

Wind energy capacity addition remained concentrated to a few states and is expected remain so over the next few years as well. The states of Andhra Pradesh (2,190 megawatts), Gujarat (1,275 megawatts) and Karnataka (882 megawatts) dominated the capacity addition. These figures may change as the ministry continues to compile the final capacity addition numbers.

Between April 2016 and February 2017, a total of 2,374 megawatts of wind energy capacity was added. In March 2017 alone the capacity addition jumped to 3,026 megawatts.

For financial year 2017-18, the Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers’ Association (IWTMA) has forecasted a capacity addition of 6,000 megawatts, against a target of 4,500 megawatts.

April 17, 2017 0 comment

Record 6 Gigawatts Wind Energy Capacity Likely To Be Added In India In 2017-18

written by saurabh

The Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association expects the current financial year to see the highest-ever wind energy capacity addition.

The Association expects the industry to beat capacity addition target for a third consecutive financial year as the government has continued with its push and support for the renewable energy industry.

India added 3,423 megawatts wind energy capacity in 2015-16 against a target of 2,400 megawatts. In 2016-17, more than 5,400 megawatts capacity was added, beating the target of 4,000 megawatts by 35%. According to the Association, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy has set a capacity addition target of 4,500 megawatts for 2017-18.

India recently conducted its first-ever wind energy auction which yielded the lowest-ever tariffs of Rs 3.46/kWh (5.2¢/kWh). Four companies – Mytrah Energy, Green Infra (owned by Sembcorp), Inox Wind and Ostro Energy were awarded 250 megawatts capacity each while Adani Green Energy secured rights to develop 50 megawatts capacity.

April 14, 2017 0 comment

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