The Indian government has issued a draft offshore wind energy policy. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy's (MNRE) document, Draft National Offshore Wind Energy Policy 2013, foresees development of capacity both within Indian territorial waters and beyond the 12 nautical miles limit.
Preliminary assessments show offshore wind potential in several coastal areas, including around 1GW in Tamil Nadu, the document says. The government aims to carry out resource and environmental assessments before leasing development sites through an international competitive bidding process.
Input from an Offshore Wind Energy Steering Committee has informed the policy's development. The draft policy is open for public comment until 8 June. A number of hurdles need to be overcome before India develops significant offshore wind capacity. However, plans for a number of projects are at various stages of development. Among them, a 600MW project planned off Porbander, Gujarat. It is backed by Bangalore-based Greenshore Energy.
.png)
.png)
