Are big wind energy projects feasible? Testing unit in TN's Dhanushkodi will help analyse

An offshore wind energy testing facility is being set up at Dhanushkodi on Pamban Island in Tamil Nadu to know the feasibility of large-scale projects.

The wind turbines will be set up at Dhanushkodi by the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) in a first-of-its-kind project in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Rs 350 crore project is funded by the Government of India and is likely to be completed in two years. The project involves setting up of two wind turbines of over 8MW capacity for performing studies and collecting data on the feasibility of large-scale projects of this kind.

The facility is unique because it is designed to test turbines for India-specific conditions, as against European conditions, where most tests are conducted by default. Notably, European wind turbines don’t perform at their optimum best in India, given the difference in atmospheric conditions.

“We will be setting up an offshore wind energy test bed and research centre on 75 acres of land at Dhanushkodi. Generally, turbines are tested only in Europe and their wind profile is different. Testing in Indian conditions will give us confidence to re-design the turbines for best performance in Indian conditions,” said a senior NIWE official.

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In Europe, the average wind speed is around 10 meters per second, whereas it is around 7.5-9m/s in India, the official said.

The total cost of the testing project is Rs 350 crore and bids for the two turbines will soon be issued to original equipment manufacturers (OEM). Each turbine is expected to generate anywhere between 8-12 MW electricity. The 7,500 km coastline of India has immense potential for energy generation using offshore and near-shore wind energy projects.

The Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (IWTMA) states that much more can be done to increase the number of wind energy projects in India and to utilize the capacity and expertise of the Indian wind power industry.

The wind energy capacity addition during 2022-23 is expected to be about 1,500-1,600 MW and next year it will be about 2,000-2,500 MW. However, the generation capacity addition is very low as compared to the industry’s turbine manufacturing capacity of 10,000 MW per annum.

“The mast in offshore wind will have to be at least 100 meter, then another 50 meters will be under the sea. For this we need to have a pile foundation and it will contribute more than 70% of the total cost,” the official said. “If we get success in offshore wind, then we should be able to generate electricity using this renewable source all through the year. In addition to nuclear power generation, wind will help reduce our dependence on coal,” said the official.

Dhanushkodi was completely destroyed in the 1964 cyclone, but has been limping back to normalcy since then with a road project to join Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi in progress. A few fishermen families too are settling down in the town and tourism is gathering pace.