New Delhi, Feb 18 (NationPress) The Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, alongside David Lammy, the Deputy Prime Minister of the UK, officially inaugurated the India–UK Offshore Wind Taskforce on Monday. The event also welcomed Lindy Cameron, the British High Commissioner to India.

Joshi characterized the India–UK Offshore Wind Taskforce as a functional entity rather than just a ceremonial platform, emphasizing its establishment under Vision 2035 and the Fourth Energy Dialogue. Its purpose is to deliver strategic leadership and coordination for India’s offshore wind ecosystem.

While the UK has exhibited global leadership in enhancing offshore wind capabilities and establishing mature supply chains, India contributes its scale, sustained demand, and a rapidly growing clean energy landscape, he noted.

Referring to the Taskforce as a “trustforce”, Joshi expressed that it embodies the mutual confidence between India and the UK to tackle genuine execution challenges. He called for the platform to yield time-sensitive workstreams, measurable objectives, and evident advancements, transforming global insights into solutions customized for Indian contexts.

He identified three foundational pillars for collaboration: ecosystem planning and market design, which entails refined seabed leasing frameworks and reliable revenue-certainty mechanisms; infrastructure and supply chains, involving port modernization, local manufacturing, and specialized vessels; and financing alongside risk mitigation through blended finance structures and the mobilization of long-term institutional capital.

The minister highlighted that the next phase of India’s transition must enhance reliability, grid stability, industrial depth, and energy security, with offshore wind playing a significant role in this progression. Promising offshore wind zones have been identified off the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, and necessary grid planning, studies, and surveys for initial projects have been conducted by the National Institute of Wind Energy.

To encourage early projects, the government has initiated a Viability Gap Funding scheme, allocating a total of Rs 7,453 crore (about 710 million pounds). Joshi pointed out that offshore wind represents one of the most intricate segments of the global energy transition, necessitating specialized port infrastructure, marine logistics, robust seabed leasing frameworks, clear risk allocation, and viable commercial structures.

He further underscored the synergy between offshore wind and India’s ambitions for green hydrogen. He noted that India is spearheading the Hydrogen Breakthrough Goal as part of the international Breakthrough Agenda and has reached globally competitive benchmarks under the National Green Hydrogen Mission. Green hydrogen prices have plummeted to a historic low of Rs 279 per kg (approximately 2.65 pounds per kg), while green ammonia prices stand at Rs 49.75 per kg (approximately 0.47 pounds per kg).

Offshore wind, he indicated, has the potential to deliver high-quality renewable energy to emerging coastal industrial and green hydrogen clusters, thereby bolstering energy security and industrial competitiveness.

Joshi asserted that India’s clean energy transition is characterized by large-scale execution. He reported that India's installed non-fossil fuel capacity has exceeded 272 GW, comprised of over 141 GW of solar and 55 GW of wind energy. In the current financial year alone, more than 35 GW of solar and 4.61 GW of wind capacity have been added.

With a clear purpose and a shared commitment, offshore wind can develop into a robust pillar of India’s clean, dependable, and self-reliant energy future, serving as a flagship of India–UK collaboration under Vision 2035, the minister concluded.