Indian Cabinet approves off-shore wind generation policy

• 8 years ago (2015-09-10)

North America 1004 Renewables 757

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Piyush Goyal, India’s Minister for Power, Coal, and New and Renewable Energy, said: "A pioneering step has been taken today with regard to off-shore wind energy generation. The policy framework is to locate and map potential sites for offshore wind energy."

The central government will attract private investors by auctioning sites for potential power generation units.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy will direct the use of offshore wind power, while the National Institute of Wind Energy will be the nodal agency in allocating offshore wind energy blocks.

Current estimates from the Ministry show a potential of 106,000 MW in power generation capacity from off-shore wind installations from the coastal regions of Gujurat alone. At present, a 50 MW power generation unit is being setup in the country on an experimental basis.

Off-shore wind energy is capable of generating 50 per cent more energy per turbine than land based generation due to consistent wind speeds. Governmental approval paves the way for offshore wind projects of up to 200 nautical miles.