India’s First Offshore Wind Tenders Fall Flat and are Canceled
The Solar Energy Corporation of India, a government entity set up to oversee the development of the country’s offshore wind energy sector, canceled its first two auctions after a year of attempting to drum up interest. Withdrawing the auctions is seen as a major setback for the country’s energy policy and the plans by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to drive industrial growth in the country.
The tenders were released in 2024 and hailed as India’s entry into the sector. Analysts are saying they were an experiment to find the correct course, but fell short of the required support to develop a new country for the industry. The government had extended the timeline for the two tenders to the end of July and early August, and reworked some of the support plans, but it was to no avail.
The reports are that they received a lack of interest from developers. One source is quoted in the Indian media saying the response was “underwhelming.” India had launched the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) program in June 2024, intended to incentivize the development of the first 1 GW of offshore wind capacity, but experts warned it was likely not enough.
SECI had staged two tenders with the jewel highlighted as the Tamil Nadu region. It was promoted as a potential major hub for offshore wind manufacturing and part of the industrial opportunities plan developed by Modi.
For Tamil Nadu, SECI proposed four 1 GW areas. Developers were to get seabed lease rights and then would be responsible for conducting the necessary seabed surveys and development activities for the projects. The areas are on the southeast coast of India on the Bay of Bengal.
A smaller 500 MW project was proposed for Gujarat, designed as a build-to-operate development. India was offering a 25-year power purchase agreement. The site is on the northwest coast of India in the Arabian Sea.
Developers in general are demanding more support to offset the increased costs and risks associated with developing offshore wind projects. They cite the problems in the supply chain and increased costs in the industry since the pandemic, and the challenges of financing the projects. Ørsted this week said financing has dried up in the United States, with banks and investors not willing to accept the risks as the Trump administration has focused on slowing or ending wind energy projects. The company is also facing large costs after it reported earlier in the year that changed finances no longer supported the development of the UK’s large Hornsea 4 project in its current form.
The Netherlands cited a lack of interest and challenging finances as it said it would scale back its offshore wind plans. Germany, also, recently reported it had not received any interest in an auction for non-subsidized offshore wind projects.
The Indian media is quoting sources saying the country is not giving up on offshore wind but will re-examine its approach. SECI has not officially said it would re-tender the sites, but sources said it is likely they will rework the plans and relaunch the tenders. No timeline was offered for how quickly the new tenders might begin, with commentators noting it is now unlikely India will have offshore wind energy ahead of its 2030 target.
Mocean Energy & SolarDuck Team Up on Integrated Offshore Renewable Power
[By: Mocean Energy]
Scottish ocean energy pioneer Mocean Energy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Netherlands-headquartered floating solar developer SolarDuck.
The strategic collaboration aims to deliver hybrid power systems that combine SolarDuck’s cutting-edge floating solar platforms with Mocean Energy’s innovative wave energy technology.
Together, the companies - which have both individually received investment from Norwegian clean-tech fund manager Katapult Ocean - will target applications for remote offshore sites in a variety of sectors, such as energy, defence and the wider Blue Economy.
Based on combined ocean energy and floating solar technologies, the pair will deliver a high-level joint concept that provides clean, reliable energy for power, communications and auxiliary systems to support remote offshore assets.
Cameron McNatt, Managing Director at Mocean Energy, said: “This MoU marks the next step in a promising business and technical collaboration between Mocean Energy and SolarDuck, focused on delivering integrated ocean energy solutions, combining wave and solar technologies for offshore applications. Particular focus is being given to providing power and communications to remote sites in challenging environments.
“Over the past few months, we’ve been sharing commercial insights and have identified a strong opportunity to conduct an internally funded technical feasibility study focused on offshore energy needs in Asia Pacific.
“Both Mocean Energy and SolarDuck are backed by Katapult Ocean, a leading Norwegian investor in clean and ocean-tech, which underscores the strategic alignment of our vision. At a broader level, this partnership reflects a growing movement toward leveraging offshore renewables to address power challenges and accelerate decarbonisation across the Blue Economy.”
Mocean Energy has already showcased the viability of its innovative wave and solar-powered technology through the successful deployment of its Blue X wave energy converter prototype.
As part of the Renewables for Subsea Power programme, this prototype, which can be seamlessly integrated with battery storage systems, has demonstrated its ability to provide consistent and reliable renewable power in offshore environments.
Building on the success of Blue X, Mocean Energy is now preparing to deploy its first commercial product, Blue Star - a next-generation wave energy device designed for long-term operation and scalability across a range of offshore applications.
During the term of the MOU, Mocean Energy and SolarDuck will also collaborate on a commercial and technical basis to identify engineering studies and commercial opportunities. As part of this the pair will share insights into each’s respective technology and requirements to more effectively approach market opportunities.
This cooperation reflects the increasing demand for resilient, sustainable and low-carbon power systems in offshore industries, as well as both parties’ commitment to driving innovation and setting new standards in offshore renewable energy deployment.
Arnaud Ayral, Chief Commercial Officer, SolarDuck, said: “This partnership aligns with SolarDuck and Mocean Energy’s shared vision to enable clean energy solutions in challenging offshore environments.
“By combining complementary technologies, we aim to unlock new capabilities and value for customers in the offshore sector. Working with Mocean Energy, we can bring robust, scalable, and sustainable power to remote offshore locations, revolutionising the way in which the industry operates.”
Anthony Bellafiore, Investment Manager, Katapult Ocean, added: “We see immense value in our portfolio companies collaborating to unlock greater technical and commercial potential. Mocean Energy and SolarDuck are taking an ambitious step to show what’s possible when pioneering offshore technologies work together to address global infrastructure needs.
“While scaling renewable offshore energy continues to have its challenges, we continue to back it because of its outsized ability to generate systemic impact and shift our blue economy from an extractive industry to a more sustainable one. With all this in mind, we are very excited to see what Mocean and Solarduck can achieve together.”
The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.
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