RWE and Tata Power have agreed on a partnership to explore the potential for a joint development of offshore wind projects in India.
An MoU underlying the collaboration was recently signed between Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd — a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Power —and RWE Renewables GmbH, a leading global name in the offshore wind energy market.
Opportunity
India is an unexplored and highly attractive market to develop opportunities for offshore wind as it has a large coastline of about 7,600 km. The MoU becomes significant in the light of the Government of India’s announcement of achieving 30 GW of offshore wind installations by 2030 to meet the country’s growing power demands, a release from Tata Power said.
RWE and Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd possess complementary strengths and will enable the establishment of a competitive offshore wind market in India, the release said.
Ideal partner
Talking about the collaboration, Dr Praveer Sinha, CEO and Managing Director of Tata Power, says: “RWE is our ideal partner to support Tata Power’s plans to enhance and grow offshore wind business based on its global expertise in running and operating offshore wind projects. In view of the Indian Government’s heightened focus on offshore wind farms to address the country’s expanding electricity demands, the collaboration becomes even more significant.”
Technical studies
The Indian Government is in the process of conducting detailed technical studies and devising the regulatory framework to establish the first auctions for offshore wind of the coast of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. Offshore wind has the potential to spur significant infrastructure investment in these states and to support local job creation. To facilitate the establishment of an offshore wind market in India, RWE and Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited will conduct technical and commercial site assessments. In addition, the companies are looking into an evaluation of the Indian offshore wind supply chain and supporting infrastructure, such as ports and grid connections, to identify the local strengths as well as necessary development potential.
RWE Group
The German-based RWE Group, with a standing of over 120 years, is a leading global player in renewables. RWE operates 17 offshore wind farms in five countries, and has constructed some of the world’s most advanced offshore wind farms. By 2030, RWE intends to triple its global offshore wind capacity from currently 2.4 GW to 8 GW.
