Tuppadahalli onshore wind farm is a 56.1MW power project being built in Karnataka, India. The wind farm is located 55km from Chitradurga and 260km from Bangalore, the capital city of Karnataka.
The €58m ($79m) Tuppadahalli project is the third wind farm in the state of Karnataka to be owned, operated, and developed by Spanish company Acciona Energy, after the Arasinagundi (13.2MW) and Anabaru (16.5MW) wind parks, which were opened in 2007 and 2008 respectively.
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The construction of the project started in October 2010 and was fully completed by October 2011.
The Tuppadahalli wind farm produces 140GWh of clean energy a year, which is sufficient to power approximately 35,000 Indian homes. It reduces 129,000t of CO₂ emissions annually.
The Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (MESCOM), a state-owned and operated distribution utility, purchases the power generated by the project under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA).
The project was built to comply with the clean development mechanism (CDM) system under the Kyoto Protocol. The CDM-registered projects enjoy financial benefits through the trading of certified emission reduction (CER) units.
Wind turbines at Tuppadahalli energy facility
The Tuppadahalli wind farm comprises 34 Vestas V82 wind turbines rated at 1.65MW each. The Vestas V82 is Det Norske Veritas (DNV) certified to meet the wind industry requirements. Each turbine has a rotor diameter of 82m and a hub height of 78m. The simple design of the turbine enables easy and affordable operations and maintenance.
The ACMOOO2 version 13 methodology was used to connect the wind farm to the grid.
Contractors involved with the Tuppadahalli wind farm
Wind turbines manufacturer, Vestas was awarded a contract to supply and commission 34 Vestas wind turbines for the Tuppadahalli project in 2010. The delivery of the wind turbines started in the fourth quarter of 2010.
The company also supplied the VestasOnline business SCADA system and signed a ten-year service and maintenance agreement under the supply and commission contract.
The contract was awarded by Tuppadahalli Energy India, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) established by Acciona Energy India for the Tuppadahalli wind farm.
Financing for Acciona’s third wind farm in Karnataka
Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) provided €33m ($40m) structured long-term financing for the project in December 2010, covering 60% of the total project cost.
IDFC sanctioned €8.8m ($10.6m) as the first instalment of the loan facility upon the completion of agreement formalities. The agreement was completed in a record three month period.
The loan will be repaid through a 14-year amortisation period, which is one of the longest sanctioned periods for Indian wind power projects.
India’s wind power market and Karnataka’s role
India plays a significant role in the world’s wind power market and ranks fourth in wind power installed capacity. The country possessed a cumulative capacity of 35,527.4MW by the end of 2019. To spread renewable energy across the nation, the Indian Government announced a policy to achieve 82,000MW of wind power by 2022.
The Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) outlined the probability of approximately 90,000MW power generation from various forms of renewable energy resources. The projected installable wind capacity is approximately 102,788MW at 80m above ground level.
The mean individual capacity of wind turbines installed in India is 1MW. It is estimated to reach 2MW by 2030.
The state of Karnataka is rich in wind farms compared with others in India. The state’s present installed capacity as of March 2019 is nearly 24,654.4MW.
