3 weeks ago

India seeks to turn offshore wind potential into large-scale deployment

India seeks to turn offshore wind potential into large-scale deployment
How India seeks to translate its offshore wind potential into large-scale deployment · indianexpress.com

Do you know what wind farms are?

They use big fans, called turbines, that spin in the wind to make electricity.

Some wind farms are built in the ocean, and India wants to build more of those.

The wind over the sea is stronger and blows more steadily than on land, so ocean wind farms can make electricity even in the evening.

India's coastline is very long — about 7,600 kilometres — so there is lots of sea to use.

India hopes to build enough ocean wind farms to power millions of homes by 2030.

But building in the sea is tricky and costs about twice as much as building on land.

You need special boats, strong underwater foundations and cables that carry electricity under the sea.

Some early plans did not attract any companies because the projects were so expensive.

To help, the government is offering money support and improving ports so companies will want to build there.

Key facts

Offshore wind target
30 GW by 2030
Technical potential
More than 70 GW, mainly off Gujarat and Tamil Nadu
Coastline length
About 7,600 km
Project cost
Rs 18–20 crore per MW, nearly twice onshore wind or solar
Auction roadmap
37 GW of site leases by 2030 under the 2023 Offshore Wind Strategy Paper
Global capacity (2025)
9.3 GW added; cumulative about 92.5 GW
First commercial offshore wind farm
Vindeby, Denmark, commissioned in 1991
Transmission planning
Completed for initial 10 GW (5 GW each for Gujarat and Tamil Nadu)

Sources

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