14 DAY TRIAL // This October 1, the Indian government and a coalition of companies inked a memorandum of understanding concerning the development of an offshore wind energy project.
Following the signing of this memorandum of understanding, which translated into the setting up of a joint venture company, the Indian government and its partner businesses will get to work carrying out a detailed feasibility study.
The end goal is to determine whether or not it is possible to build a 100MW offshore wind farm along the coast of the Indian state of Gujarat and how implementing this project would affect local ecosystems.
The joint venture company must also identify potential problems in terms of delivering the energy produced by one such facility to shore and come up with solutions.
“The Joint Venture Company will undertake detailed feasibility study based on the inputs received from pre-feasibility studies and necessary steps for implementation of the first offshore demonstration wind power project,” the Indian government explained in a statement.
Why invest in offshore wind power?
Admittedly, India is no stranger to clean energy and green technologies. The country has until now installed 22GW worth of onshore wind farms and plans to continue making significant investments in renewables in the years to come.
In fact, it was earlier this week that Energy Minister Piyush Goyal told The Guardian that India could invest as much as $100 billion (approximately €79 billion) in green energy over the course of the following 5 years.
However, the country is yet to build even one offshore wind farm. This is despite the fact that it has about 7,600 kilometers (roughly 4,722 miles) of coastline. The way Energy Minister Piyuch Goyal sees things, India's potential for setting the bases for a flourishing offshore wind power industry is nothing short of humongous.
“Wind power development onshore has reached to commercial stage in India and is fastest growing renewable energy option today. India also has around 7600 KM of coastline which offers great potential for Off-shore wind power development,” said the Indian government.
In case anyone was wondering, India wishes to invest heavily in renewables not only to boost its energy security, but also to improve on its ecological footprint and thus help limit climate change and global warming.
The pilot project
The 100MW offshore wind farm that India hopes to soon build not far from Gujarat's coastline is described as a pilot project. Thus, this endeavor is expected to prove that the country is well able to make the most of this clean energy source.
Besides, the project will make it possible for companies interested in investing in renewables to learn more about offshore wind power. As explained by the country's high officials, “This being a first demonstration offshore wind project in the country, will certainly provide enough learning to move into this sector by taking up similar viable projects in future.”
For the time being, it is unclear when exactly India will break ground on the construction of this 100MW offshore wind farm. Hopefully, more information will soon be shared with the public.