By IANS,
Kolkata: The US-based Astonfield Renewable Resources Limited has set its eyes on non-conventional energy generation in India by exploiting offshore wind, tidal and concentrated solar energy resources, a top company official said here Wednesday.
“We’re very interested to explore offshore wind, tidal energy and solar thermal to generate renewable power in India,” Astonfield Management Inc co-chairman and director Sourabh Sen said.
“We’re looking at southern India and the Bay of Bengal for generating offshore wind energy and Rajasthan and Gujarat for concentrated solar energy,” he said.
He said the company was already into the fields of solar, bio-mass and waste energy generation business in India.
The company has also formed joint venture with Areva Renewable, the green energy arm of the French energy major Areva, to implement 100 MW biomass power plants across India at an estimated cost of Rs.550 crore-630 crore.
Sen said the projects would be implemented through a 60:40 joint venture between Astonfield and Areva. The projects have been targeted for commissioning by 2013.
“Areva will provide engineering, procurement, 40 percent of the total capital and construction to all these projects.”
Work on the first 10 MW capacity power plant would begin in the fourth quarter of 2009 at Gangarampur in West Bengal.
This apart, Astonfield is also undertaking a 5 MW solar power generating project in the state’s western district of Bankura and further looking for land to set up a 5 MW solar power plant.