NEW DELHI: After experiencing record growth in the wind energy sector, the government is now pushing for the use of offshore wind energy to develop a resilient and globally competitive wind ecosystem, according to a senior government official.
“As India enhances its wind energy ambitions, the focus is increasingly shifting toward creating a robust and competitive wind ecosystem that can support large-scale deployment,” said Rajesh Kulhari, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), during the launch event for Windergy India 2026.
The government has allocated ₹7,453 crore through the Viability Gap Funding scheme to support India's first 1 GW of offshore wind capacity — 500 MW each off the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
This is against an assessed offshore potential of nearly 71 GW across both coastlines. The MNRE is collaborating with the World Bank and KPMG to secure additional support to close the tariff gap.
“Offshore wind is a significant new frontier that needs to be scaled up,” Kulhari added.
However, experts have noted that despite the allocation of viability gap funding, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have not yet received any substantial proposals.
The annual event, Windergy India 2026, is set to take place from October 7 to 9, 2026, at the Chennai Trade Centre.
In FY 2025-26, India added 6.05 GW of wind capacity, the highest on record, bringing cumulative installed capacity to 58.14 GW as of July 31, 2026.
The industry now aims for a target of 100 GW by 2030, requiring sustained annual additions of about 10 GW. Research by the IWTMA indicates a live pipeline of roughly 43 GW under construction and an assessed wind potential of up to 1,164 GW at 150-metre hub heights.
India's domestic turbine manufacturing capacity has increased to 24 GW annually, up from 10 GW in 2014, with 70-80% domestic value addition. Wind equipment exports surpassed ₹12,000 crore in FY 2025-26, marking nearly a 50% increase. Additionally, the MNRE has launched WT-MARUT, India's first wind supply-chain portal, positioning India as both a fast-deployment market and a global export hub.
Repowering represents a significant opportunity, offering 25.4 GW from India’s ageing fleet of more than 19,000 sub-MW wind turbine generators (WTGs) located in high-wind zones. Modern turbines can nearly double the capacity factor from 14-15% to approximately 30%.