With largest coastal line in the country, wind is a commodity freely available in Gujarat. And free is a word very common in the state -- in retail and wholesale.

The government just realised it and is making full steam efforts to set new goals for wind energy sector giving thrust to wind power generation by private companies.

Gujarat has approved a new Wind Energy Policy for next five years till June 30, 2012 replacing the existing ones with news aspirations and new ideas

The major change that the new policy has spelt out is that now private companies engaged in manufacturing and non-manufacturing sector will be allowed to set up wind energy based power plants. Not only that, the provisions of the new policy also offer options to the private companies than they can use wind power for captive purpose or sell to other parties.

The previous policy allowed only those private companies associated with manufacturing sector to set up wind energy based power plants. Earlier, apart from captive usage, wind power generation companies were allowed to sell wind power to only Gujarat Electricity Board.

In order to promote and attract private companies to go for wind energy based power plants, the new policy also provides for exemption of electricity duty to those private players, who come forward to set up private wind power generation station, said, Saurabh Patel, Minister of State for Energy. He also took notice of the fact that the state government has also increased the power purchase rate to Rs. 3.37 per unit from Rs. 2.60 per unit earlier.

Highlighting the momentum gained in wind energy generation in the state, the minister said that installed capacity of wind power generation in the state was only 113 mw during the period from 1993 to 1998, which increased by four times to 455 mw in 2003 to 2007. "Now with the new policy being made effective, the installed capacity is poised to surge to 600 mw by October-07", he hoped.