Neyveli's wind power proj may be commissioned by next year

State-owned Neyveli Lignite's wind power project in Tamil Nadu is expected to be commissioned by June next year marking the company's foray into the renewable energy sector.

"The project is scheduled to be commissioned in June 2014," according to a source.

Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) is planning to set up a 51-MW wind power farm at Kaluneerkulam in Tamil Nadu.

Leitwind Shriram Manufacturing Ltd had said earlier this month that it has bagged an order worth Rs 346 crore from NLC for supply of wind turbines.

The company - a joint venture between Shriram Group and Italy-based Windfin BV - is into design, manufacture, installation and maintenance of wind electric generators.

The contract from Neyveli Lignite Corp is related to the wind project.

The scope of the work includes procuring of land, designing, manufacturing, supplying, erecting, testing, commissioning and synchronising with grid.

Meanwhile, NLC is also examining 89 proposals from Indonesia, Australia, Mozambique, the US and a few other countries offering coal assets and long-term fuel supplies among other things for its upcoming power projects.

NLC has plans for growth in power generation capacity and is expanding its activities not only at Neyveli, but also in other parts of the country. It is already in the process of setting up two power projects in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh at an estimated cost of Rs 24,770 crore, to take its capacity to 11,195 MW.

The 'Navratna' firm operates four mines with a total capacity of 30.6 MTPA, and four thermal power stations of total capacity of 2,740 MW.

The Centre last month had sold over 5.97 crore shares, or 3.56% stake, in NLC through an institutional placement programme (IPP) at a price band of Rs 58-60 a share.