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Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) | National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE)
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has launched the India–UK Offshore Wind Taskforce—termed a “Trustforce”—to provide strategic leadership for India’s offshore wind ecosystem under the Vision 2035 framework. Minister Pralhad Joshi emphasized that while the UK leads in mature offshore supply chains, India offers unprecedented scale and long-term demand, with promising zones already identified off the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. To de-risk early-stage projects, the Indian government has introduced a Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme with an outlay of ₹7,453 crore (~£710 million).
The Taskforce will focus on three practical pillars: ecosystem planning, infrastructure/supply chains (including port modernization), and financing. This cooperation is strategically linked to the National Green Hydrogen Mission, as offshore wind is expected to provide high-quality renewable power to emerging coastal industrial clusters.
Three Practical Pillars of the India–UK Offshore Wind Taskforce
Pillar 1: Ecosystem Planning & Market Design: Developing refined seabed leasing frameworks and credible revenue-certainty mechanisms to attract global developers. This includes time-bound workstreams under the Fourth Energy Dialogue.
Pillar 2: Infrastructure & Supply Chains: Prioritizing port modernization, local manufacturing of specialized vessels, and marine logistics. This pillar also explores Industrial Synergy by providing power to coastal green hydrogen clusters.
Pillar 3: Financing & Risk Mitigation: Utilizing blended finance structures and mobilizing long-term institutional capital to support the high-complexity execution of offshore projects.
What is the “Viability Gap Funding” (VGF) for Offshore Wind? Viability Gap Funding (VGF) is a financial grant provided by the government to support infrastructure projects that are economically justified but not yet commercially viable due to high initial capital costs. For offshore wind—one of the most complex energy segments involving underwater turbines and specialized marine logistics—the VGF scheme helps bridge the “commercial gap” until the sector achieves economies of scale. The ₹7,453 crore outlay ensures that early-stage projects off the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu can attract private investment and long-term institutional capital by reducing the financial risk associated with seabed leasing and specialized port infrastructure.
Policy Relevance
For India, the “Trustforce” represents a transition from “Onshore Wind Expansion” to “Maritime Energy Depth,” where energy security is built upon the vast offshore potential of its 7,500 km coastline.
Standardizing Seabed Leasing: Developing refined frameworks for leasing ocean floor space acts as a “Standard Maker” move, providing the legal certainty needed to attract global developers.
Bypassing Port Bottlenecks: Focusing on port modernization ensures that identified zones in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are synchronized with India’s maritime infrastructure goals under Sagarmala.
Operationalizing Green Hydrogen Synergy: Linking offshore wind to coastal green hydrogen clusters supports the national goal of reaching a historic benchmark of ₹279 per kg for green hydrogen.
Federal Grid Stability: Offshore wind’s higher capacity utilization factor (CUF) compared to solar makes it a strategic pillar for strengthening grid reliability.
Implementation Fidelity via UK Expertise: Utilizing global lessons from the UK’s mature supply chain helps India shorten the “learning curve” for executing execution-intensive marine projects.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What institutional mechanisms are needed to ensure that 'High-Quality Offshore Power' is effectively integrated into the interstate transmission system to enhance industrial energy security?
Follow the full news here: India–UK Offshore Wind Taskforce Launch