The Indian government has announced that the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy will extend the scheme for generation-based incentives for grid interactive wind power projects for the 12th Plan period. The objective is to broaden the investor base, to incentivise actual generation, and to facilitate the entry of large independent power producers and foreign direct investors to the wind power sector.
Under the scheme, wind power generators will receive 50 paise per unit of electricity fed into the grid for a period of 4-10 years, with a cap of $153,000. The total disbursement in a year will not exceed 25 per cent of the maximum limit of the incentive. The scheme will be applicable for the entire 12th Plan period, with a total target of 15,000MW.
The scheme will cover grid-connected generation from wind power projects set up for the sale of electricity to the grid at a tariff fixed by the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions or state governments, and will include group captive plants, but will exclude third party sale merchant power plants.