GAIL approves Rs 1,736 crore investment for wind power project in Maharashtra

State-owned gas utility GAIL (India) Ltd has approved an investment of Rs 1,736.25 crore to set up a wind power project in Maharashtra, as part of its plan to expand its renewable energy portfolio and move towards net zero carbon emissions by 2035.

In a regulatory filing, the company said its board, at a meeting held on Friday, cleared the proposal to develop 178.2 megawatt of wind power capacity.

The project is expected to be completed within 24 months from the award of the contract. Once operational, it will add to GAIL’s existing renewable energy portfolio of 117.95 MW.

The company currently also operates 27 MW of solar energy projects located across Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Its wind power assets are spread across Gujarat (19.2 MW), Karnataka (38.1 MW) and Tamil Nadu (60.65 MW).

The Maharashtra project forms part of GAIL’s broader strategy to increase renewable energy capacity and meet its net zero targets.

“GAIL has set a target of achieving net zero through reduction in Scope-1 and Scope-2 (carbon) emissions by 2035 and Scope-3 emissions by 2040. GAIL plans to increase its renewable energy capacity up to 3.4 GW by the year 2035 to achieve the net zero targets,” according to the company’s website.

The company is also investing in other clean energy segments, including green hydrogen and compressed biogas (CBG) projects, in line with India’s national energy goals.

GAIL is India’s largest natural gas transmission and marketing company, with a pipeline network of about 18,0001 km across the country.

In addition to being the biggest marketer of gas in India, the company owns an LPG portfolio and operates two petrochemical plants in Pata, Uttar Pradesh, and one in Assam.