The Indian government has issued a draft tender plan for its first offshore wind tender off the country’s south coast.
New Delhi is planning to auction 4GW of capacity in waters off Tamil Nadu and is requesting industry feedback by 28 November.
Under the draft proposals, developers will be invited to bid to secure development rights across five blocks ranging from 655MW to 912MW in size, though final capacities could be tweaked subject to final permits being granted.
The sites are between 10km and 39km from the shoreline in water depths between 20 and 50 metres. Average wind speeds clock in at 10-11 metres per second.
The government favours a two-stage bid approach, with one bid to establish a developer’s technical and commercial credentials and the second designated as a purely financial bid for acreage.
The auction is likely to attract international interest. Earlier this year, RWE signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly explore offshore wind development in India with Tata Power.