One in five inhabitants on Earth live in India, and the country is the world’s third largest emitter of CO₂. At the same time, India is already the world’s third largest consumer of energy, and the demand for energy is expected to double in 2040. Therefore, India plays a key role in the global green transition, and the country faces enormous decisions on investments in the energy system. India’s actions today will have consequences for the global climate decades ahead.

The Indian green ambitions are also high. India wishes to be a global leader, focusing on sustainable development. The government has an objective of a staggering 450 gigawatt renewables in 2030. By comparison, Denmark’s capacity in 2020 was about 9.6 gigawatt.

In order to realise the ambitious renewable energy target of India, it is vital to optimize the use of all resources in the country. This include harvesting the offshore wind potential of India and thereby utilise the Indian resources optimally. Based on this, the Danish Energy Agency cooperates with the Indian authorities on realising the Indian ambitions through assistance on the development of offshore wind in a planned and structured process. This ensures that the development of offshore wind can be done with reduced risks for investors, leading to a more cost efficient process.

The Danish and Indian Ministers for Energy inaugurated the joint Centre of Excellence for Offshore Wind and Renewable Energy in 2021 in New Delhi. The centre has a secretariat in the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and a Danish Head of Secretariat, and it contributes to creating the right framework for developing offshore wind and support the green transition.

India has an ambition of 30 gigawatt offshore wind in 2030. If this goal is met, India will have the opportunity to avoid 47 million tons CO₂ emissions, which is equal to 1.5 times the yearly CO₂ emissions from the Danish energy consumption.