In a move towards increasing non-fossil fuel based installed capacity by 2030, India has announced plans to add 58 GW of wind energy capacity over the next seven years. This would bring the cumulative installed capacity of onshore wind energy to 100 GW. The investment for this project is estimated to be over 4 lakh crore. Presently, 42.8 GW of onshore wind energy has already been installed.
The Union ministry of new & renewable energy is also considering the possibility of issuing a tender for seabed licensing. This is to set up 4 GW of India’s first offshore wind energy farm off Tamil Nadu coast before the end of CY2023. They have identified 14 sites in the Gulf of Mannar, each with a capacity to install 1 GW.
They plan to float tenders before the end of this year for the seabed license and the successful bidder would be given the opportunity to prepare the detailed project report within a five-year time-frame.
In the initial stage, bids for the potential leasing of 4GW of power through various channels such as open access, captive, bi-lateral third party sale and merchant sale. In India, an investment ranging from Rs 7,000 to Rs 8,000 crore is required to generate one GW of wind energy.
Wind energy is generated in nine states, with Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh being the prominent ones on the list.
Reference- Economic Times, Mercom India, Business Standard, Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association, India Today