A landmark collaboration between India and the United Kingdom has commenced with the official launch of a joint taskforce dedicated to advancing offshore wind energy in India. This strategic initiative, unveiled by India’s Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, and UK Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy, on Wednesday, signals a concerted effort to unlock India’s vast maritime renewable potential and accelerate its ambitious energy transition goals. The taskforce, which will include a representative from Denmark – a global pioneer in the offshore wind sector since the early 1990s – is slated to hold its inaugural meeting next week, setting the stage for detailed operational planning.
The rationale behind this alliance is rooted in the complementary strengths of both nations. The United Kingdom stands as a global leader in the offshore wind domain, having meticulously cultivated a mature ecosystem spanning early-stage deployment, large-scale commercial markets, and sophisticated supply chains. Its expertise, honed over decades, offers invaluable lessons in technology, policy, and project execution. Conversely, India brings to the table immense scale, a rapidly expanding clean energy landscape, and a long-term demand trajectory for sustainable power, driven by its economic growth and commitment to decarbonisation. This synergy is envisioned to provide a robust framework for India to leapfrog traditional development phases and rapidly integrate offshore wind into its energy mix.
Constituted under the broader India-UK Vision 2035, the India-UK Offshore Wind Taskforce is structured around three critical pillars designed to foster a comprehensive offshore wind ecosystem. The first pillar focuses on ecosystem planning and market design. This encompasses the meticulous refinement of seabed leasing frameworks, which are crucial for delineating project areas and ensuring transparent allocation processes. Equally vital is aligning bidding trajectories with grid readiness, ensuring that new offshore wind capacity can be seamlessly integrated into the national power network. Furthermore, establishing credible and transparent revenue certainty mechanisms is paramount to attracting the significant capital investments required for such large-scale infrastructure projects, mitigating risks for developers and financiers alike.
The second pillar addresses the fundamental aspects of infrastructure and supply chains. Developing a robust offshore wind sector necessitates substantial investments in port modernization, capable of handling the colossal components of wind turbines and facilitating their assembly and deployment. Alongside this, fostering local manufacturing capabilities for key components such as foundations, towers, blades, and subsea cables is essential to build domestic expertise, create jobs, and reduce reliance on imports. The availability of specialized vessels for installation, maintenance, and marine operations, coupled with targeted skilling programs for a new generation of marine technicians and engineers, will form the backbone of this industrial development.
Financing and risk mitigation constitute the third, and arguably most challenging, pillar. Offshore wind projects are inherently capital-intensive, requiring billions of dollars in upfront investment. The taskforce aims to explore innovative financial instruments, including blended finance structures that combine public, private, and philanthropic capital, to de-risk early-stage projects and attract a broader spectrum of investors. Mobilizing long-term institutional capital from pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and international financial institutions will be crucial for sustainable project development. Furthermore, the integration of offshore wind with sophisticated transmission planning, advanced energy storage solutions, and emerging coastal green hydrogen clusters is identified as a strategic imperative to maximize the value and flexibility of this renewable resource.
The UK’s credentials in offshore wind are globally recognized. As the world’s second-largest market for offshore wind, it has demonstrated an unparalleled capacity for innovation and deployment. Its recent Allocation Round 7 (AR7) tender, concluded in January, underscored this leadership by securing an impressive 8.4 gigawatts (GW) of new offshore wind capacity – the largest auction in European history. This achievement not only highlights the UK’s commitment to its own energy transition but also positions it as an ideal partner for nations like India embarking on their offshore wind journey. Deputy Prime Minister Lammy emphasized that the taskforce is critical in catalysing these initial offshore wind projects in India, leveraging the UK’s proven track record.
For India, the pursuit of offshore wind is not merely an aspiration but a strategic necessity to meet its ambitious climate goals. The nation is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 and has set an interim target of installing 500 GW of non-fossil fuel electricity capacity by 2030. Offshore wind energy is projected to be a cornerstone in achieving these targets, given India’s estimated potential of 70 GW of offshore wind generation, primarily off the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Despite ranking fourth globally in onshore wind installed capacity, after China, the US, and Germany, India has yet to fully tap into its offshore potential.
The journey, however, is fraught with significant challenges. Offshore wind projects, while benefiting from higher quality and more consistent wind speeds due to the absence of terrestrial obstructions, are substantially more capital-intensive than their onshore counterparts. The cost of power generated from these projects, known as the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), has historically been higher than other renewable sources, rendering the sector economically unviable in India until recently. The complexity of establishing wind farms on the seabed, involving specialized foundation technologies, subsea cabling, and sophisticated marine operations, translates into higher gestation periods and intricate project management.
India’s initial foray into offshore wind began with the notification of the ‘National Offshore Wind Energy Policy’ in October 2015. However, despite this policy framework, projects largely failed to materialize due to the prohibitive investment costs and perceived lack of economic viability. Recognising these hurdles, the Indian government has initiated proactive measures. The Union Budget for FY25 allocated viability gap funding (VGF) for setting up 1 GW of offshore wind capacity. This VGF mechanism is designed to bridge the gap between the actual cost of power generation and the economically viable tariff, thereby de-risking projects and making them attractive to private investors. The initial focus for development will be concentrated off the fertile wind zones of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
Beyond energy security and climate mitigation, this India-UK collaboration carries significant economic and geopolitical implications. It serves as a tangible enhancement of bilateral ties on the energy front, complementing the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed last year. That FTA, which promises to eliminate tariffs on 99% of Indian exports to the UK and aims to double bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030, already improved market access for India-made solar modules and wind turbines. The offshore wind taskforce adds a strategic layer to this economic partnership, fostering technology transfer, joint research and development, and the creation of high-value jobs in both nations. For India, it presents an opportunity to build a nascent domestic industry, leveraging global best practices to foster local manufacturing and skilling, reducing reliance on imported technology and services in the long run.
Experts underscore the need for a dynamic and adaptive approach to truly kickstart offshore wind in India. A November 2025 report by Ember, a UK-based energy transition think tank, highlighted that India’s strategy must evolve beyond early groundwork, integrating a blend of domestic innovation with global best practices. The report emphasized clear priorities: crafting targeted incentives for pioneering projects, actively catalysing domestic supply chains, and translating these into bankable projects capable of attracting substantial investment. This multi-faceted approach, encompassing policy support, financial de-risking, and industrial development, will be critical for India to transform its vast offshore wind potential into operational capacity.
The joint taskforce, therefore, represents a pivotal moment in India’s clean energy journey. By combining the UK’s unparalleled expertise and market maturity with India’s ambitious targets and scale, this alliance has the potential to not only establish a thriving offshore wind sector in India but also to set a new benchmark for international collaboration in sustainable energy development. As the global energy landscape rapidly shifts towards decarbonisation, such strategic partnerships will be instrumental in accelerating the transition, fostering economic growth, and securing a sustainable future for all.
