Key Points

Addressing an official event to mark the occasion, Joshi said: "Our national goals are ambitious and clear, with a target of 50 per cent of our power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030, and a net-zero India by 2070. Wind energy is central to achieving these goals. Wind energy is not a component of our renewable energy strategy, but it is at the heart of it and at the centre of Atma Nirbhar Bharat."

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given us a vision to have renewable energy for manufacturing and conventional energy for household consumption," the minister pointed out.

"India’s manufacturing capacity is increasing, and it will continue to increase. In view of this, the Prime Minister’s vision stresses the importance of renewable energy production, storage and usage, so that once India becomes a global manufacturing hub in the near future, the country should be able to fulfil the energy demands of the manufacturing sector through renewable energy sources," Joshi observed.

India has a huge potential in the renewable energy sector, with the fourth largest wind power installed capacity in the world, and it is also the third largest renewable energy producer.

"No one had thought that India would become the third largest manufacturer of renewable energy in 10 years, but today it is a reality," Joshi said.

The minister underlined the three key issues for the wind energy sector, saying: "First, we must combine wind with solar and storage (BESS) to deliver round-the-clock power and grid stability. Secondly, tariffs must be competitive. A rate of Rs 3.90 per unit is too high; we must work together to reduce costs, and thirdly, domestic manufacturing must become more efficient, not just to meet our own targets, but to boost exports.”

Underlining the dedicated efforts from the Centre to unleash the potential of the renewable energy sector, he said: "The government is backing this sector with full seriousness. This year’s renewable energy budget has gone up by 53 per cent to Rs 26,549 crore, with a large share directed to wind."

"The transition to renewables is inevitable. States must lead this transition. Land availability and transmission delays have to be overcome. This is not the time for hesitation, it is the time for execution," the minister added.

"I am happy to note that India is manufacturing wind turbines ranging from 225 kW to 5.2 MW, with 33 models being produced by 14 companies. These turbines meet our domestic needs and are also cost-competitive globally."

The minister further added that to fully unlock national wind potential, a coordinated national push is required, for which the Centre is focusing on five priorities. These include expanding into new states like Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Odisha, launching the offshore sector with 4 GW of leasing areas identified in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu and tenders being readied.

Apart from this, the government is integrating wind into round-the-clock and firm green power strategies, through storage-linked business models, modernising the grid, and investing in AI-based forecasting to manage variable renewable energy. It is also taking steps to boost local manufacturing across the entire wind value chain.

The Union Minister also released reports on the ‘Wind Energy Roadmap’ and ‘Manufacturing Roadmap’ at the event. He said that the documents will serve as guiding frameworks for our journey ahead and reflect our collective ambition, strategic thinking, and commitment to building a strong and Atma Nirbhar wind energy ecosystem in India. The best-performing states in terms of wind capacity addition were also felicitated at the event. Karnataka was ranked first with a wind capacity addition of 1331.48 MW, followed by Tamil Nadu (1136.37 MW), and Gujarat (954.76 MW).

Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik and Karnataka Energy Minister K.G. George were also present at the event.

- IANS