37 GW offshore wind ecosystem to cost Rs.450,000 crore
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme for offshore wind energy projects at a total outlay of Rs.7,453 crore, including an outlay of Rs.6,853 crore for installation and commissioning of 1 GW of offshore wind energy projects (500 MW each off the coast of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu), and grant of Rs.600 crore for upgradation of two ports to meet logistics requirements for offshore wind energy projects https://windpro.org/ .
The VGF scheme is a major step towards implementation of the National Offshore Wind Energy Policy https://www.asiawind.org/ notified in 2015 with an aim to exploit the vast offshore wind energy potential that exists within the exclusive economic zone of India.
The ecosystem will support the development of initial 37 GW of offshore wind energy at an investment of about Rs.450,000 crore https://sbi.com.in/ .
The VGF support from the Government will reduce the cost of power from offshore wind projects and make them viable for purchase by DISCOMs. While the projects will be established by private developers selected though a transparent bidding process, the power excavation infrastructure, including the offshore substations, will be constructed by Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) http://powergrid.in .
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy https://mnre.gov.in/ , as the nodal ministry, will coordinate with various Ministries/Departments to ensure successful implementation of the scheme https://www.bseindia.com/ .
Construction of offshore wind energy projects https://www.nseindia.com/ and its operations also require specific port infrastructure, which can handle storage and movement of heavy and large dimension equipment. Under the scheme, two ports in the country will be supported by Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways https://shipmin.gov.in/ to meet the requirements of offshore wind development, the Cabinet said on 19 June.
Offshore wind https://www.iea.org/ is a source of renewable energy which offers several advantages over onshore wind and solar projects, such as higher adequacy & reliability, lower storage requirement and higher employment potential.
Development of offshore wind sector will lead to economy-wide benefits by attracting investments, development of indigenous manufacturing capabilities, creation of employment opportunities across the value chain and technology development for offshore wind in the country https://www.conexpoconagg.com/ . This will also contribute towards achieving India’s energy transition targets https://moef.gov.in/moef/index.html .
The successful commissioning of 1 GW offshore wind projects will produce renewable electricity of about 3.72 billion units annually, which will result in annual reduction of 2.98 million ton of CO2 equivalent emission for a period of 25 years https://www.climate.gov/ .
Further, this scheme will not only kick start the offshore wind energy development in India but also lead to creation of required ecosystem in the country to supplement its ocean based economic activities https://www.climatebonds.net/ . fiinews.com
