Shell, Deep Water, Macquarie Express Interest In India’s First Offshore Wind Tender

The Expression of Interest issued by the Indian Ministry of New & Renewable Energy to set up the country’s first offshore wind energy project has attracted a who’s who of the international offshore wind energy market.

A total of 34 companies — project developers and turbine manufacturers — participated in pre-tender discussions with the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy last month. Indian as well as foreign companies were present in the meeting. The Ministry is planning to set up one gigawatt wind energy farm off the coast of Gujarat. 

Prominent participants from India included Sterlite Power Grid, Greenko, Mytrah Energy, Inox Wind, Suzlon Energy, and ReNew Power Ventures. Some of the well-known foreign participants included Orstead, Alfanar, Deep Water Structures, EON Climate & Renewable, Terraform Global, Macquarie Group, Shell, and Senvion.

India has announced short and medium-term targets to set up offshore wind energy projects. The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, earlier this year, announced plans to have 5 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity installed by 2022. For 2030, the ministry has set a target of 30 gigawatts. As of 31 July 2018, the total wind energy capacity operational in India stands at 34.4 gigawatts.

India is, undoubtedly, very late to the offshore wind party. The Ministry has been deliberating on initiation of the country’s first offshore wind energy project since 2010. However, lack of credible resource assessment studies, long procedure for clearance from the defense establishments, logistics for power evacuation, and change in governments could have played a part in the delay.

A presentation by the Ministry likely dated around 2012-2013 stated that the offshore wind energy potential for the state of Tamil Nadu only was around 127 gigawatts at 80 meters hub height. There would be significant increase in the potential at higher hub heights, say 120 meters and more. India’s Centre for Wind Energy Technology had assessed the onshore wind energy potential of the country as 103 gigawatts at 80 meters, and subsequently upgraded it to 302 gigawatts at 120 meters.

So far, resource assessment for onshore wind energy potential has only be carried out at a location each off the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. These sites would likely host the first of the likely several offshore wind energy projects in India.