After Gujarat tender flop, govt seeks UK, Dutch help for offshore wind push

NEW DELHI: India is in talks with the UK and the Netherlands for technical expertise in setting up the country’s first offshore wind energy project in Tamil Nadu.A senior official of the ministry of new and renewable energy said geophysical and geotechnical surveys have been conducted to analyse seabed composition, soil stratification and load-bearing capacity for foundations. Discussions have also been held with stakeholders and relevant data collated to support the development of the first 1 GW of offshore capacity.“Since this will be our first such project, we are seeking guidance from experts in the UK, the Netherlands and other European countries on how they approach offshore wind energy development,” said Rajesh Kulhari, joint secretary in the ministry of new and renewable energy.Since the tender floated last year for setting up a project in Gujarat failed to attract any bids, Kulhari said govt was keen to make a second attempt. Speaking on the sidelines of the curtain-raiser of the 8th edition of Windergy India 2026, scheduled to take place on Oct 7-8 in Chennai, he added that the ministry was also evaluating the Gujarat tender to understand why it failed to attract bidders and would seek expert help to make necessary amendments.Offshore wind energy projects currently cost at least four times more than typical onshore projects. High upfront costs, tariff uncertainty, transmission readiness, and port capacity and logistics are some of the factors that deter developers and investors.According to an assessment by the National Institute of Wind Energy, 35 GW of India’s estimated 91 GW offshore wind potential lies off Tamil Nadu’s coastline.While India and the UK have formed a joint offshore taskforce to accelerate strategic clean energy cooperation through time-bound, execution-focused collaboration, the partnership with the Netherlands will also help shape an actionable plan.Kulhari also said India will soon surpass Germany to become the third-largest wind energy producer in the world. While India’s installed wind capacity is estimated at 58 GW, including a record 6 GW added in 2025-26, the country is likely to achieve 107 GW of capacity by 2030.“We have surpassed Brazil this year. We are at 58 GW while Germany is currently at 77 GW. We are on track to surpass Germany before 2030 with more than 107 GW of wind capacity,” Kulhari said.China is currently at the top with installed wind energy capacity of about 700 GW, followed by the US at over 160 GW.Get the latest Business News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.