EU to help India establish its first offshore wind energy plant

CHENNAI: In his two-day visit to the city, Tomasz Kozlowski, representative of European Union (EU) India, disclosed that India’s first major off-shore wind energy plant is expected to be set up soon in Gujarat with contributions of the EU nations and private companies. The delegate highlighted cooperation on clean energy, research, innovation, education and culture under EU-India strategic partnership during his two-day visit.

“A few years ago, we launched the project (of offshore wind energy plant) to assess the capacity and now it is in the process of implementation. We have shared our experience and regulatory framework for offshore power plants. The first off-shore wind energy plant in Gujarat is in the implementation stage. The Indian government’s plan is very ambitious. By 2022, India wants to have a capacity of 5 GW of offshore wind energy in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu,” said Kozlowski. He also mentioned that they would be finding ways to tap into Tamil Nadu’s offshore wind energy potential in the near future.

He also displayed the environment friendly, EU funded e-rickshaw ‘Namma Auto project’. He said e-vehicles would be essential to shift from non-renewable to renewable energy sources in the near future.