Tangedco utilised maximum wind energy generation in 2022

CHENNAI: Even as the peak wind season is yet to conclude, Tamil Nadu has recorded maximum power generation from the windmills this year totaling 10,490 million units till Monday, surpassing the record in 2017.

Windmill owners, who always complain about the grid curtailment of windmills during the peak wind season of May-October, were all praise of Tangedco for not resorting to any such curtailment and utilising all the wind energy.

The all-time high wind generation for the same period was in 2017 with 10,178 million units.

K Kasthurirangaian, chairman, Indian Wind Power Association, said that this year’s wind season was good and windmill generation has spiked compared to 2021.

“From April to October this year, wind generation has already crossed 10,000 million units which is more than last year,” he said. “This is the first time Tangedco has fully utilised wind energy without grid curtailment.”

Due to rain, wind power generation has dropped. But windmill owners expect wind generation to pick up in the coming days.

“We expect the wind season to last till the end of this month. Last year, the wind season was extended till November,” he added.

A Tangedco official said that maximum wind energy generation has been utilised this year “by backing down our own thermal and hydro generations. Whenever there was a fall in wind generation, we made use of hydro and thermal power to compensate for it. At times, we also purchased energy from the market too”.