Sembcorp commissions wind projects on time

New Delhi: Singapore-headquartered Sembcorp's India arm on Wednesday announced the completion of 800 MW of wind power projects to become the first company to complete all the projects won under bidding conducted by SECI.

"We have met our promise to commission on time all the three projects won under the three bid rounds conducted by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI)," said Vipul Tuli, Managing Director, Sembcorp Energy India.

This brings the total renewable energy capacity Sembcorp has in India to 1,730 MW.

Power and New & Renewable Energy R K Singh lauded the achievement of the company during a virtual ceremony to commemorate the successful completion of all its three wind projects totalling 800MW.

The minister said, "We want transition to renewable energy. We shall do 175 GW by 2022. The Prime Minister has laid down further vision of 450GW by 2030. We shall be there".

Singh said that with addition of 2.6 crore power connection recently, the power demand will expand in coming days. He assured total transparency and level playing filed to all players in the sector. Sembcorp invested about Rs 5,500 crore in setting up a 249.9 MW wind energy farm at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu and two projects totalling 550 MW in Bhuj in Gujarat, he said. "The projects span an area of 2,600 square kilometers which is one-and-half-times the size of Delhi," he said.

He said the company had won the Tuticorin project by offering a tariff of Rs 3.50 per unit. It won a 250 MW project at Bhuj in the second round of SECI, offering Rs 2.65 a unit price. In the latest auction, it won a 300 MW project in Bhuj by offering a tariff of Rs 2.44.The company is confident of meeting all its obligations, he said. "We do not take speculative calls on tariffs. We offer only when we know we can meet the promise."

Tuli, however, said the company is not looking at expanding its thermal power plant portfolio, which currently stands at 2,640 MW. "With the full commissioning of the 300 MW SECI-3 wind project, Sembcorp has become the first independent power producer to fully commission its projects awarded in the first three wind auctions held by the SECI," he said.

Sembcorp Energy India is a leading independent power producer (IPP) in India.

With this, Sembcorp has earned the distinction of being the first to fully commission all projects awarded in the first three rounds of auctions conducted by SECI on behalf of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. SEIL, which is part of the Sembcorp Group - a $23 billion energy, marine, and urban development global conglomerate headquartered in Singapore, has a balanced portfolio of 4/3 GW of thermal and renewable energy assets across seven

states in India.