Suzlon turbines to drive SBI's captive wind farm at Coimbatore

New Delhi: Government-owned State Bank of India chairman O P Bhatt, today inaugurated the bank's first wind farm project in Coimbatore, as part of the bank's strategy to reduce its carbon footprint and sensitize its customers to the need for adopting energy-efficient processes.

The electricity generated from the wind turbines will power various SBI facilities and operations across Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, where it has installed 10 Suzlon S-82 1.5 MW wind turbine generators that would yield 15 MW power.

The project was completed by Suzlon – from concept to commissioning in just four months; covering equipment supply, construction, project commissioning, power evacuation, and comprehensive operations and maintenance services.

Inaugurating the project, Bhatt said, ''Amongst the players in the financial services sector, State Bank has taken the initiative to be in the forefront in initiating steps for combating climate change and reducing our carbon footprint, and we propose to take the initiative forward for which this beginning has been made in acquiring green power, with a view to making the bank as nearly energy neutral as possible over the next five years.''

He further said, ''The windmills are set up with a definite objective of reducing the dependence on the polluting thermal power and not on purely economic and business considerations.''

This project directly results in reducing the carbon footprint of the bank and paves the way for others to follow.

Bhatt added, ''The bank is planning to set up an additional 20 MW capacity of windmills in the state of Gujarat, once clarification about the feasibility of wheeling of power even to our LT consumption points is received from the Gujarat Energy Development Authority.''

According o Tulsi R. Tanti, chairman and managing director, Suzlon Energy Ltd, said, ''This project demonstrates SBI's far-reaching vision in recognising the challenge of climate change, and our collective responsibility to combat it. As an Indian company, and the world's third largest wind power group, it gives us great pride to partner with SBI in its first 'green b banking' initiative: harnessing wind to reduce its carbon footprint. We look forward to building on this success, and this project becoming a beacon for other corporates and industries.''