Winds of Change: Learnings for the Indian Offshore Wind Energy Sector

The document analyzes India's offshore wind potential, primarily off the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, noting that while the country has a target of 30 GW by 2030, no projects are currently operational. It identifies critical barriers including high capital costs, lack of specialized port infrastructure, and regulatory uncertainties. By comparing India to existing markets like the UK and Denmark and emerging markets like Taiwan and South Korea, the paper recommends updating the National Offshore Wind Energy Policy 2015, implementing competitive procurement mechanisms such as Contracts for Difference, and developing a government-led 'plug-and-play' power evacuation model to reduce investor risk. It also emphasizes the need for detailed Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and the integration of offshore wind with green hydrogen or hybrid RTC (round-the-clock) renewable projects to enhance economic viability.

• India has a significant offshore wind resource potential of 70 GW, specifically located off the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, though all 40 GW of its installed wind capacity as of November 2021 remains onshore.
• The Indian government's offshore wind targets of 5 GW by 2022 and 30 GW by 2030 have not seen progress, with no projects currently in place, necessitating a reassessment of these goals based on pragmatic time and cost estimates.
• Offshore wind offers higher plant load factors (4045 percent) compared to onshore wind (3035 percent) and ground-mounted solar (2025 percent), making its system value comparable to baseload technologies.
• High capital expenditure is a primary barrier; per-MW installation costs for offshore wind are estimated at INR 140150 million, which is more than double the INR 6065 million estimated for onshore wind.
• To reduce costs and attract investors, India could adopt mechanisms used in other markets, such as the UK's Contracts for Difference (CfD) to protect against volatile prices, or a 'plug-and-play' model where the government installs power evacuation infrastructure.
• The development of a local manufacturing base is critical but depends on project volume; a pipeline of more than 30 GW is required to support full wind turbine generator supply and electrical cables for domestic use and export.
• Current port infrastructure in India is insufficient for offshore wind; Hazira and Pipavav ports in Gujarat and Thoothukudi port in Tamil Nadu are identified as the most promising for necessary upgrades.
• There is a critical gap in environmental and social safeguards, as the RE sector in India currently does not require prior environmental clearances, and detailed Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) have not been conducted for Tamil Nadu or fully for Gujarat.
• Coupling offshore wind with green hydrogen or creating hybrid RTC (round-the-clock) projects (e.g., combining solar, onshore wind, and offshore wind) could improve grid stability and economic feasibility.

APA

Krishnan, D. S., Tilotia, A., Kumar, V. S., Bharadwaj, A., & Kajol (2022). Winds of Change: Learnings for the Indian Offshore Wind Energy Sector. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-08/winds-change-learnings-indian-offshore-wind-energy-sector.pdf?VersionId=bfO3E00waxbaQG6hdyKBX4TwwdO2BoRI

Chicago

Krishnan, Deepak Sriram, Akhilesh Tilotia, Vaisakh Suresh Kumar, Anya Bharadwaj, and Kajol. Winds of Change: Learnings for the Indian Offshore Wind Energy Sector. World Resources Institute, 2022. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-08/winds-change-learnings-indian-offshore-wind-energy-sector.pdf?VersionId=bfO3E00waxbaQG6hdyKBX4TwwdO2BoRI.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Krishnan |first1=Deepak Sriram |last2=Tilotia |first2=Akhilesh |last3=Kumar |first3=Vaisakh Suresh |last4=Bharadwaj |first4=Anya |last5=Kajol |title=Winds of Change: Learnings for the Indian Offshore Wind Energy Sector |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=June 2022 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-08/winds-change-learnings-indian-offshore-wind-energy-sector.pdf?VersionId=bfO3E00waxbaQG6hdyKBX4TwwdO2BoRI |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{krishnan2022winds, author = {Krishnan, Deepak Sriram and Tilotia, Akhilesh and Kumar, Vaisakh Suresh and Bharadwaj, Anya and Kajol}, title = {{Winds of Change: Learnings for the Indian Offshore Wind Energy Sector}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-08/winds-change-learnings-indian-offshore-wind-energy-sector.pdf?VersionId=bfO3E00waxbaQG6hdyKBX4TwwdO2BoRI}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }