NEW DELHI, October 19 — The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) notified the updated commercial bidding trajectory and tender guidelines on Monday for 4,000 MW (4 GW) of offshore wind energy projects off the coasts of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
Backed by a ₹7,453 Crore Viability Gap Funding (VGF) outlay approved by the Union Cabinet, the government will subsidize seabed surveying, subsea cabling, and evacuation substations to lower the levelised cost of offshore electricity. The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has been designated as the nodal auction agency tasked with inviting electronic reverse bids for seabed leasing across designated blocks in the Gulf of Mannar and Gulf of Khambhat.
MNRE highlighted that specialized heavy-lift maritime logistics facilities will be upgraded at V.O. Chidambaranar Port (Tuticorin) and Pipavav Port. Operating with capacity utilization factors of 45–50%, offshore wind turbines generate continuous clean power without occupying inland agricultural acreage, complementing diurnal solar generation on the national grid.
The policy framework under the National Offshore Wind Energy Policy 2015, the scientific role of the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE Chennai), mechanisms of Viability Gap Funding under the Department of Economic Affairs, and India's maritime energy jurisdiction are vital for UPSC GS-III.