A long-awaited committee dedicated to managing Indian offshore wind development has been established by the country's national government.
India’s minister of new and renewable energy, Farooq Abdullah, will chair the inter-ministerial group. It is tasked with ensuring that offshore wind develops in a "directed and focused manner".
Late last year during a parliamentary address, Abdullah emphasised the barriers standing in the way of Indian offshore wind.
Announcing the committee’s creation, the government said that a number of detailed studies were needed. These will consider the country’s offshore wind resource and sea conditions, as well as projects' potential environmental impacts and the infrastructure needed to support equipment manufacture and grid connection.
A preliminary assessment has indicated that waters off the states of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Maharashtra offer the best prospects for electricity generation. Authorities in Tamil Nadu appear particularly keen to approve projects and there are plans to install a meteorological mast at a coastal location within the state.
India’s leading oil and gas company, ONGC, is thought to be developing a pilot offshore wind farm within its western offshore field.
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