India to Tap Offshore Wind Potential, Begins to Formulate National Policy

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources India (Delhi, India)--India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) (New Delhi) recently issued the "Draft Offshore Wind Energy Policy," inviting comments and suggestions from stakeholders and the general public on the development of a national policy for offshore windfarms.

India currently has about 19 gigawatts (GW) of installed onshore wind power capacity, mainly spread across the coastal states of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Other states such as Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have substantial installed wind power generation capacity, while the country's offshore potential still remains totally unexplored.

Preliminary assessments indicate the prospect of developing offshore wind power projects along the coastlines of Kerala, Karnataka and Goa. The wind resource data collected for the coastlines of Rameshwaram and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat shows reasonable potential for offshore installations. It is estimated that there is enough potential to establish about 1 GW of wind power capacity each along the coastlines of Rameshwaram and Kanyakumari.

According to the ministry, the policy document would be the primary decision-making document for the development of offshore wind energy projects up to a seaward distance of 12 nautical miles from the coastline. However, research and development activities may extend up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline.

MNRE will be the Nodal Ministry for the development of offshore windfarms in India. It will act as one of the government entities for the development and use of maritime space within India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

To develop offshore wind projects in India, an Offshore Wind Energy Steering Committee (OWESC) was constituted under the chairmanship of the Secretary of MNRE. While onshore wind energy has reached comparable mass deployment worldwide, offshore wind energy deployment is presently confined mostly in Europe.

To implement the offshore wind policy, the government has proposed to establish a National Offshore Wind Energy Authority (NOWA) under MNRE. According to the draft policy, NOWA will be a single-window agency that will coordinate with all concerned agencies to facilitate necessary clearances. The draft document also specifies that the offer for blocks will be made through International Competitive Bidding (ICB) process. The last date for submission of comments on the draft is June 8, 2013.

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