Gujarat to sign MoU for India’s 1st 500 MW offshore wind energy project

In order to set up India’s first offshore wind power project — having a total installed capacity of 500 MW — Gujarat government will be signing an MoU with a Rajasthan-based company during the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Summit where over an estimated Rs 70,000 crore worth of deals are expected to be inked in the port sector alone. The wind power project is expected to take shape in the Gulf of Kutch near Jakhau for which Samiran Udaipur Windfarms Limited will be signing an MoU worth Rs 6,500 crore with the state government. This project will generate employment for about 500 people, state government sources told The Indian Express.

This comes almost two years after the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) had set up a joint-venture company towards undertaking the first demonstration offshore wind power project along the Gujarat coast. This company was meant to undertake detailed feasibility studies for offshore wind power project. Countries like UK, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, China and others already have 7.5 GW capacity of offshore wind power projects. Among the biggies of the port sector who will be inking MoUs during this Vibrant Summit is Adani Port and SEZ Ltd (APSEZ) which will be pledging investments worth Rs 30,000 crore development of Phase II and Phase-III of Mundra port in Kutch.

Similarly, Essar Group will be inking Rs 13,000 crore worth of MoUs for developing an LNG import terminal at Hazira, a 100 MTPA (million tonnes per annum) commercial port at Devbhoomi Dwarka with LNG import and regassification facilities.

The foreign players who will be inking MoUs in the port sector include, Netherlands-based Vopak Group which will be investing about Rs 1,500 crore for building a tank farm and a jetty at Dahej in South Gujarat. Similarly, UK-based KatOil Ltd along with a Gujarat-based firm will be investing Rs 2,800 crore for developing an all-weather green-field port and LNG terminal in Gujarat. This project will create an employment for 5,500 persons.

Apart from these projects, companies either operating or connected with the port sector like Cairn India Ltd, Tata Chemicals, HPCL-Shapoorji Energy Ltd, Swan Energy are expected to sign MoUs with the Gujarat government.