Studies in offshore wind energy in Tamil Nadu already underway

India's Centre for Wind Energy Technology is already in the process of exploring the off-shore wind potential in Tamil Nadu.

With independent studies also throwing up very encouraging results, one of the mandates of the steering committee is to now explore the possibility of setting up a pilot off-shore wind power project that is at least 100 m high within the next 2-3 years.

With India boasting of a 7,600 km long coastline, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy feels the idea has plenty of potential.

Since such a project would require clearances from multiple agencies, the creation of an institutional mechanism for the development of offshore wind energy for inter agency co-ordination is also in the works.

To address these clearance issues, the steering committee has recommended the adoption of a New Exploration Licensing Policy.