Offshore wind has immense potential in India, but a recent report suggests action is needed by the government (source: RWE)
The government of India has initiated a process that will see rights to use areas of the seabed off the coast of Tamil Nadu to develop up to 4 GW of offshore wind capacity
The tender, issued on 2 February 2024 via the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), will conclude in the award of leases for areas of seabed in several blocks the government has identified offshore Tamil Nadu in the Gulf of Mannar.
The successful bidder(s) will have exclusive rights to conduct studies and surveys over the areas in question and subsequently develop projects, in accordance with the terms of the request for selection (RfS) and project agreements entered into by successful project developers.
Developers will be required to undertake surveys of the seabed and associated development activity towards preparation of detailed project reports and advance projects to financial close.
In addition to constructing offshore windfarms on the sites, developers will also be responsible for the development and installation of the transmission systems for their projects.
In an interim budget statement for 2024-2025, the government also stated that to help meet its commitment for ‘net-zero’ by 2070, it will provide what it described as ‘viability gap funding” for harnessing an initial 1 GW of offshore wind energy.
As highlighted byOWJ, a recent report suggests offshore wind has huge potential in India, but for its goals to be realised, action needs to be taken.
The report,Accelerating the Deployment of Offshore Wind in India, produced by BVG Associates with support from MEC+, identifies actions needed to realise and accelerate India’s offshore wind ambitions.
In late 2022, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energyreleased a draft tender for seabed leases that could generate up to 4 GW of offshore wind energy. This came after India’s Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy Shri R K Singh unexpectedly proposed that the country hold a 4-GW offshore wind auction in each of the next three years, followed by more large-scale auctions in subsequent years.
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