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Repowering India’s ageing wind power infrastructure through a system-wide upgrade—manufacturing innovation, infrastructure overhaul, and tailored financial architecture—can help unlock 25.4 gigawatts (GW) of enhanced capacity.
The Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) in a report explored the urgent need to repower, replace old, low-capacity turbines with modern, high-capacity ones, and to unlock vast untapped potential in wind-rich states like Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
It highlights structural barriers that hinder repowering, from fragmented ownership to outdated evacuation systems, and calls for a coordinated, policy-backed response.
“India’s wind repowering sector holds a transformative potential worth ₹1.39–1.52 lakh crore, offering the possibility of unlocking 25.4 GW of enhanced capacity from ageing wind infrastructure,” the report revealed.
A feasibility study on repowering wind power plants by IIT Bombay’s Grid Integration Lab, released in March 2025, also raises similar issues.
It points to complexities in multi-owner wind farm sites, continuation of existing power purchase agreements (PPAs), regulatory hurdles, and need for substantial investment in power evacuation infrastructure.
The report underscores that without targeted policy support, financial incentives, and regulatory reforms, developers are unlikely to independently pursue repowering initiatives.
Outdated infrastructure
Despite being located in some of the world’s most wind-rich sites, India’s wind capacity is built on outdated infrastructure, the CSE report pointed out.
Tamil Nadu alone operates more than 8,800 turbines totalling 6.25 GW, many of which rely on obsolete technology. Similarly, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Gujarat together host thousands of sub-megawatt machines installed over two decades ago.
These turbines, mostly below 1.5 megawatt (MW) with capacity utilisation factors of 10–14 per cent, occupy high-potential Class I wind zones but fail to meet current efficiency standards, it revealed.
CSE noted that the 2023 National Repowering and Life Extension Policy for Wind Power Projects requires a minimum 1.5-fold increase in energy generation from repowered sites, highlighting the pressing need for systematic infrastructure modernisation.
Yet this significant potential remains largely unrealised, hindered by three critical structural challenges that require urgent and coordinated action.
These challenges are upgrading Category A sites with next-generation turbines, aligning and strengthening transmission infrastructure, and mobilising targeted investments to drive wind repowering success.
Critical barriers
India’s premier wind corridors, including Tamil Nadu’s Muppandal and Gujarat’s coastal regions, require turbines capable of handling both high wind speeds (around 10 Meters/ second) and high turbulence intensity (TI 0.16).
“However, the current Revised List of Models and Manufacturers (RLMM) issued by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) offers only six certified models rated for TI 0.16—all of which are under 1 MW capacity and have hub heights below 100 metres,” it added.
These models are technically inadequate for effective repowering, which requires 2–3 MW turbines with higher hub heights. Moreover, India’s current turbine supply primarily caters to sites with TI 0.12–0.14, rendering the country’s best wind corridors effectively unserviceable.
Tamil Nadu’s wind evacuation system exemplifies critical infrastructure constraints. For instance, the Muppandal region still relies on legacy 11 kV feeder systems designed in the 1990s for 200–600 kW turbines.
Modern 1.5-2 MW turbines face grid compatibility issues such as current overload risks, voltage instability, and increased transmission losses. Upgrading to 33 kV or higher evacuation systems demands substantial replacement of switchgear, transformers, and supporting infrastructure.
Additionally, many wind-dense zones lack 400 kV substations, creating critical capacity bottlenecks.
Repowering economics differ fundamentally from greenfield wind projects, involving distinct costs such as dismantling, site preparation, and evacuation upgrades.
Current financial policies fail to accommodate these specific needs, offering no support for dismantling and site reclamation, no capital offset for grid infrastructure upgrades, and no differentiated capital subsidies for repowering requirements.
“Without targeted fiscal incentives, concessional loans, performance-based grants, or specialised financial instruments designed for small investor participation in repowering, project viability remains compromised on both technical and ownership fronts,” the CSE report suggested.
Published on September 2, 2025
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