India’s offshore wind revolution is no longer a distant breeze—it’s a full-force gale. Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi announced at Chennai’s 7th International Renewable Energy Trade Fair on October 30, 2025: the Centre will float bids for two 500MW offshore wind projects—one each in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat—by February 2026. These flagship tenders mark the opening salvos in a 30GW offshore pipeline that will anchor India’s 500GW renewable target by 2030, with wind alone contributing 100–110GW. “The turbines’ hum in Tamil Nadu symbolizes India’s clean energy dream,” Joshi declared, signaling that the era of coastal mega-farms has arrived.

Tamil Nadu, already India’s wind energy juggernaut with 11,500MW onshore (2nd nationally) and a total renewable capacity of 25,500MW (4th nationally), is primed to dominate the offshore arena. State Electricity Minister SS Sivasankar revealed that Tamil Nadu’s 1,076-km coastline harbors over 35GW of offshore potential, fueled by consistent 8–10 m/s wind speeds at 100–120m hub heights. The state’s first project—slated off the Dhanushkodi–Rameswaram corridor—will be developed in partnership with the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) and the India-Denmark Green Strategic Partnership. The newly minted 2025 Green Transition Alliance will fast-track technology transfer in turbine foundations, floating platforms, and grid integration, positioning TN as Asia’s offshore wind R&D hub.

Gujarat, the cradle of India’s original wind boom in the 1990s, will mirror Tamil Nadu’s 500MW tender in the Gulf of Kutch–Kandla region, where LI-DAR surveys have mapped 20GW+ potential. Together, these twin 1GW launches will deploy 15–18MW class turbines—each blade longer than a cricket pitch—on fixed-bottom monopiles in 20–40m water depths. The projects will feed into the Green Energy Corridor Phase III, with 1,200kV HVDC lines evacuating power to load centers in Chennai, Ahmedabad, and beyond. Early estimates peg Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE) at ₹4.5–5.5/kWh by 2028, undercutting new coal at ₹6+/kWh and rivaling solar-wind hybrids.

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The economic ripple will be seismic. Each 500MW farm demands ₹4,000–5,000 crore in capex, spawning 10,000 direct jobs in fabrication, installation, and O&M—plus 50,000 indirect roles in steel, cables, and ports. Joshi emphasized a “Make in India” mandate: GST cuts on blades and nacelles, Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) incentives, and repowering of 5GW of vintage onshore turbines will seed a world-class manufacturing ecosystem. Ports like Kattupalli (TN) and Pipavav (GJ) are being upgraded for 1,000-ton crane vessels, while Cochin Shipyard eyes floating foundation assembly lines.

As Denmark’s Ørsted, Germany’s RWE, and India’s Adani Green circle the tenders, the February bids will set the benchmark for Viability Gap Funding (VGF)—capped at ₹1 crore/MW—and 25-year PPAs with SECI. With Karnataka and Maharashtra next in line for 1GW pilots by 2027, India’s 7,500-km coastline is morphing into a $100 billion green frontier. The message from Chennai is crystal: the wind is shifting—literally—and Tamil Nadu and Gujarat are riding the crest.

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