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The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) at Pune has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Adani Group for collaboration in the field of atmospheric modeling and renewable energy.

IITM is an important research agency under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).

"An MoU was signed between IITM and Adani Group (for) collaboration in the field of atmospheric modeling and renewable energy that will work in setting up of weather research and forecasting mesoscale model and to improve the accuracy of wind, solar and rain forecasting model provided by IITM," said a scientist from the IITM.

Adani Power Limited (APL), a part of the diversified Adani Group, is the largest private thermal power producer in India. It has a power generation capacity of 12,450 MW comprising thermal power plants in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, and a 40 MW solar power project in Gujarat, according to its website.

The MoU was signed on Friday between R. Krishnan, Director at the IITM, and Kiran Kumar, Head (Technology) at Adani Green. The MoU will be effective for the next three years.

Asked what kind of weather research the MoU envisages, a senior official from the MoES said, "It is about providing tailor-made forecasts for them (Adani Group) by doing required R&D."

However, this is not the first time that IITM has signed an MoU with a private entity.

"Earlier, IITM had an MoU with TATA Power when I was the director at the Institute. The National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) too has MOUs with private agencies. We have been supporting private industries, but rather very silently," Madhavan Rajeevan, former Secretary in the Ministry of Earth Sciences, told IANS.

In fact, just on Thursday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), another agency under the MoES, had renewed its MoU with the Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO), the national grid operator, wherein weather information provided by the IMD will be used across India for better management of Indian power systems.