India to generate electricity from wind energy in five years

India is looking forward to wind generated electricity by wind propelled plants installed in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. The plants are expected to be completed in about five years as a part of the country’s green energy development programmes.

"We are preparing India for offshore wind (and) providing MNRE a road map for offshore wind for Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. It would take three to five years that we see commercial offshore winds projects in India," Mathias Steck, Executive Vice President and Regional Manager at DNV GL, an international renewable energy group, said on the sidelines of the Singapore International Energy Week held last week.

He also said that in about three years, a 100 megawatt pilot plant is likely to be installed in ocean of Gujarat.

It is to kick start a new power generating sector under the Facilitating Offshore Wind in Industry (FOWIND) programme funded by the European Union.

The project is being implemented in close cooperation with Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and National Institute of Wind Energy.

"Over the time DNV GL has been in India, we have looked over 50-gigawatt of onshore wind projects," Steck said, adding "this is a market leading position" as DNV GL works for a large number of clients in renewable energy projects.

DNV GL is also looking at prospects in solar and tidal wave energies in India, he further added.