The Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers’ Association and Wind Independent Power Producers’ Association have joined hands to form the Indian Wind Energy Alliance to promote and protect the interest of all stakeholders of the wind energy industry in India, an IWEA press release said.The Indian Wind Energy Alliance, the apex body for the wind energy industry, was launched by Piyush Goyal, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy. IWEA is a consortium of Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers’ Association and Wind Independent Power Producers’ Association, the two leading trade bodies representing respectively the manufacturing and investing or customer side of the wind business.
The objective of this alliance is to promote and protect the interests of all stakeholders of the wind energy industry including wind energy producers, investors, manufacturers, component makers and other stakeholders. It will provide a pan-India forum, create an atmosphere of cooperation and address various issues faced by the wind energy stakeholders. IWEA will also work closely with the government to achieve the target of 10 GW of new wind installations every year.
Piyush Goyal said, “There is need to enhance wind power development in the country, and the government will provide all the necessary support to the industry to achieve the target of 10,000 MW of wind power installations every year. The formation of IWEA will not only benefit the wind energy industry as a whole but also partner with the government in fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to bring power to every home by 2019.”
“The potential of the wind sector in India is far greater than what is currently being projected and the formation of IWEA will provide an impetus to the wind energy industry by establishing and assisting scientific laboratories, workshops, institutes and organization in the wind energy industry. There is a lot of scope for the wind energy sector to grow in India and government’s support is critical to achieving the national objectives, especially given the government’s renewed interest on wind and other renewables,” Sumant Sinha, first Chairman of IWEA and Chairman and CEO of ReNew Power, said.
At the end of 2013, the total wind power capacity installed worldwide is 3,21,559 MW. India has about 6.35 per cent share of total wind capacity. India with 20,215 MW installed capacity as of December 2013 ranks fifth in the world. The wind energy sector has made significant contributions during the 11th Five-Year Plan (2007-2012) which include achievement of the planned capacity addition targets and attracting private sector investment of around Rs. 44,000 crore. A cumulative emission reduction of 68 million CO2 has been achieved which is equivalent to deemed environment benefits of Rs. 5,200 crore. Also, wind power helped save 41 million tonnes of coal imports during the 11th Plan, leading to an estimated forex savings of Rs. 19,800 crore.
Source: Indian Wind Energy Alliance
