Kerala is likely to join India’s small club of wind power-sipping States on November 15, provided the state government is armed with the power purchase agreement (PPA) for Suzlon Energy’s Palghat wind farm by then. Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharastra and Gujarat are the only Indian States who have gone serious on the wind turbines.

Suzlon Energy and Vestas India – setting their cap on the 610 mw wind power potential in 16 sites in Kerala – have already dipped their fingers in two locales – Palakkad and Idukky respectively. At Agali (in Palakkad), Suzlon Energy is in the throes of winding up civil work for Phase I.

“If the state government gives the final thumbs up, we are game to put up the turbines and get 4.8 mw- Phase I running from November 15,” says K Suresh Kumar, AGM (corporate affairs) Suzlon Energy. The company vows work will be through in 29 days.

“In fact, the entire 20-mw wind power at Palakkad at Rs 120-crore investment is scheduled to get going by March 2008,” he told FE.

Since the terrain is harsher in Idukky site, Vestas may take a little more time to set up the 9.75-mw first phase of the Ramakkalmedu wind farm.

However, the mood is ‘no power without the final PPA’. Had the developers taken the plunge without a PPA? State Tariff Regulatory Commission had proposed to them a tariff maximum of Rs 3.15 per unit. (In Maharashtra wind energy is sold at Rs 3.37 per unit ( plus 15 ps escalation per year), in Gujarat Rs 3.37 per unit), in Karnataka Rs 3.4 per unit and in Tamil Nadu Rs 2.90 per unit ( with hidden escalations whipping it upto Rs 3.40 per unit).

State power minister AK Balan had assured compliance to this tariff cap. But Kerala State Electrictiy Board (KSEB), which had come out with a model PPA, has thrashed out the details only this week.

On October 27, State Electricity Tariff Regulatory Commission has convened the developers, KSEB and all other stakeholders for a hearing on the model PPA. “Since tariff cap is already fixed, this is on the detailing,” C Balakrishnan, chairman, SETRC, said.

This means that KSEB has a good long fortnight to set the ball rolling before November 15. However, if the board chooses to pass the burden of PPA decision to State government, Kerala power consumers may have to wait a little longer to ride the Southern winds.