The Government of India has rolled out the 'National Repowering & Life Extension Policy for Wind Power Projects-2023' to promote the replacement of older turbines. The policy aims to revitalize the country's ageing wind turbines through modifications in components such as gearbox, blades, generator, and controller.
According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy's (MNRE) proposed policy, the eligibility criteria for turbines to undergo repowering includes those that do not comply with the quality control order, turbines that have completed their design life, and turbines of a rated capacity below 2 MW. The involvement of state nodal agencies (SNAs) and a central nodal agency (CNA), appointed by the Central government, is envisaged to facilitate implementation of the proposed policy.
Under the new policy, wind project developers will now be able to replace older turbines with more efficient and modern ones, even before the expiry of their original design life. The policy distinguishes between standalone projects, owned by a single entity, and aggregation projects, owned by multiple owners with shared infrastructure.
In addition, the policy enables the refurbishment of turbines to extend their operational life, provided they meet the necessary safety and performance standards. The policy is intended to improve the efficiency of wind power generation. The eligible projects would be able to avail incentives such as interest rate rebates from the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA).
