Gujarat government is now focusing on tapping offshore wind power generation potential along its coastline. The State has successfully established a solar power generation park in north Gujarat and a series of wind power plants with private companies. Following a positive study report prepared by UK based Atlantis Resources Corporation, the government is now drafting an offshore wind power generation policy that will be announced soon.
A senior official with the State Energy and Petrochemical Department said that the State government expects around Rs 1,000 crore in investments in the sector over the next few years. It has allocated Rs 20 crore in the recent budget to give equity in a first of its kind pilot project, he added. The official says that the initial cost of generating per mega watt of power by the offshore windmills has been estimated to be around Rs 40-50 crore.
However, it is likely to go down with the upcoming technology. He adds that as compared to solar power parks there is no need of huge tracts of expensive land and there are no issues of displacing people. It is more reliable when it comes to availability of power. It is expected that in the long run, offshore wind power generation will be a more viable option than the solar power, he said.
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