India, UK launch offshore wind taskforce

India and the United Kingdom have set up a joint Offshore Wind Taskforce to accelerate project implementation, strengthen supply chains, and address structural challenges in India’s offshore wind sector. The initiative was launched by Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi along with UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and British High Commissioner to India Lindy Cameron.

The Taskforce has been established under the India–UK Vision 2035 framework and the Fourth Energy Dialogue to provide coordinated direction for offshore wind development in India. The platform aims to bring together policy, industry, and financing stakeholders while adapting international experience to domestic project execution. Minister Joshi described the initiative as an operational collaboration platform intended to move from policy discussions to implementation outcomes. He noted that the United Kingdom’s experience in scaling offshore wind and building supply chains complements India’s expanding clean energy demand and deployment potential.

The Taskforce will prioritise three focus areas. On market design, efforts will centre on clearer seabed leasing frameworks and improved revenue visibility for developers to support project bankability. Infrastructure initiatives will include port modernisation, development of domestic manufacturing, and specialised marine logistics for offshore installation and maintenance. In financing, the collaboration will examine blended finance models and mobilisation of long-term institutional capital to improve project viability and risk allocation.

India has identified offshore wind zones along the Gujarat and Tamil Nadu coastlines for early development. Surveys, resource assessments, and grid planning activities have been carried out through the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) to support initial projects. To enable early deployment, the government has introduced a Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme with a total allocation of Rs 7,453 crore. Minister Joshi highlighted that offshore wind projects involve complex technical, regulatory, and commercial requirements, including specialised infrastructure, marine logistics planning, and bankable contracting frameworks.

Offshore wind is also being positioned as a supporting resource for coastal industrial clusters and green hydrogen production. India currently leads the Hydrogen Breakthrough Goal under the global Breakthrough Agenda and has established competitive pricing benchmarks through the National Green Hydrogen Mission. According to the Minister, declining costs of green hydrogen and green ammonia improve the case for integrating offshore wind as a reliable renewable power source for emerging industrial demand.

The announcement comes as India’s non-fossil fuel installed capacity has surpassed 272 GW, including more than 140 GW of solar capacity and about 55 GW of wind capacity. In the current financial year, renewable capacity additions include over 35 GW of solar and 4.61 GW of wind installations, indicating continued expansion of the clean energy portfolio.

Photo credit: @mnreindia/X