Offshore Wind: What Expansion Means for Coastal Communities

India's coastline stretches over 7,500 kilometres, offering enormous potential for offshore wind energy. As of 2020, the government has set ambitious targets for offshore wind development, and early projects are beginning to demonstrate the technology's potential.

India's Offshore Wind Potential

The National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) estimates India's offshore wind potential at approximately 174 GW at a 100-metre hub height within 200 nautical miles of the coast. The states with the greatest potential are:

• Gujarat — Strong winds, shallow waters, and existing port infrastructure make it the leading state for offshore wind development
• Tamil Nadu — High wind speeds and proximity to major load centres offer significant potential
• Kerala — Moderate offshore wind potential, with growing community interest in coastal renewable energy

What Offshore Wind Means for Coastal Communities

Jobs

Offshore wind creates jobs at every stage of the project lifecycle:

• Construction — Fabrication, installation, and commissioning of turbines and foundations
• Operations — Ongoing maintenance and remote monitoring
• Supply chain — Components manufacturing, specialised vessels, and port services

A single 500 MW offshore wind farm can create 2,000–3,000 direct and indirect jobs during construction and 200–300 permanent operations and maintenance jobs.

Electricity Prices

As offshore wind scales up globally, costs are falling rapidly. In Europe, offshore wind reached cost parity with new fossil fuel plants by 2019. India is expected to reach similar cost competitiveness by the mid-2020s as local supply chains develop and project experience accumulates.

Environmental Considerations

Offshore wind has a lower visual impact than onshore wind and does not compete with agricultural land. However, careful siting is essential to avoid impacts on traditional fishing grounds, established shipping lanes, and sensitive marine ecosystems.

Genultimus's Role While Genultimus focuses primarily on community-scale renewable energy, we believe offshore wind will play an important role in India's energy future. We are working with coastal communities in Kerala to ensure they are informed about and benefit from offshore wind development in their region.

The Road Ahead

Despite the challenges of 2020, India's renewable energy sector has shown remarkable resilience. The government's target of 5 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2022 and 30 GW by 2030 signals strong long-term commitment. We are optimistic that offshore wind will become a significant part of India's energy mix in the coming decade.