The Bharat Light & Power Ltd. Amberi wind farms in Rewalkawadi, Maharashtra, India. Getty Images
On Wednesday, India announced a new governmental framework for the development of offshore wind power. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) have been authorized to start allocating blocks as far as 200 miles offshore. This move opens up a vast new frontier for clean energy development in India, and firms are eager to get in on the action.
Indian wind-turbine manufacturer Suzlon is conducting a “techno-commercial feasibility” trial off of Gujarat, where it has identified more than 1GW of offshore wind energy potential on the Kutch Coast. Tulsi Tanti, the firm’s chairman, said on Wednesday “this is likely to be the first private sector offshore wind energy project of the country.” Now that the red tape has been streamlined, development should be faster and easier. Tanti noted that the government’s decision will “simplify and create a single window system for relevant approvals from various central government departments and state maritime boards, too.” He added “We foresee offshore wind energy revolution in our country, given India’s very long coastline,” which stretches over 4,700 miles.
However, “offshore wind is also significantly more expensive” than other renewables, said Anish De, a partner for infrastructure and government services at consulting firm KPMG. “It will be important to see how the issues are addressed and if the scale plays out beyond the initial promotion-driven projects,” he cautioned.
India currently has 23GW of wind capacity, exclusively from onshore turbines. The government plans to expand total wind capacity to 60GW - part of its target to reach 175GW of clean energy by 2022 — and firms are embracing the initiative. Global renewable energy giant SunEdison announced on Wednesday that it will develop 800MW of onshore wind power over five years in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, along with 1.2GW of solar power. The combined 2GW of projects will have a price tag of $1.8-$2.1 billion. “SunEdison is dedicated to furthering India’s renewable energy programme, and has committed to develop and construct 15.2 gigawatts of clean and cost effective wind and solar power projects in the country by 2022,” said Pashupathy Gopalan, the firm’s president for Asia-Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa operations.
And wind power could theoretically be scaled up much more. On September 2, NIWE announced that India’s installable onshore wind energy potential has been revised upwards to an estimated 302GW (based on approximately 300-foot towers, taller than those used for previous estimates). Offshore wind potential will likely bring the total figure exponentially higher.
Like anything else that reduces India’s over-dependency on heavily-polluting coal, these new projects are great news for the country and the world.
