India: Gujarat Drafting Offshore Wind Policy

The Gujarat State Government is currently drafting a policy on offshore wind power, after a study conducted by the UK based Atlantis Resources Corporation gave a positive report on its development, The Times of India news site writes.

This information from the state comes only a few days after the Indian Government announced the establishment of an Offshore Wind Energy Steering Committee under the chairmanship of Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), associating the stakeholder Ministries to steer the offshore wind energy development in the country.

The initial cost of offshore wind power per megawatt has been estimated to be around Rs 40-50 crore, but it is also expected to fall with the implementation of new technologies, the news site cited a senior official with the state energy and petrochemical department. He added that this resource will be more viable that the solar energy, when considering the best long-term option.

“The state government expects around Rs 1,000 crore in investments in the sector over the next few years. It has allocated Rs 20 crore in the recent budget to give equity in a first of its kind pilot project,” he said.

The Gujarat State Government is supporting a 600 MW offshore wind project, proposed by a Bangalore based developer Greenshore Energy Private Limited, which would be the first offshore wind project in India, Renew India news site says.

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Offshore WIND Staff, March 11, 2013; Image: dwea