New Delhi [India], February 19 (ANI): Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday addressed the launch of the India-UK Offshore Wind Taskforce in the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Lammy and British High Commissioner to India Lindy Cameron, a press release by the ministry said.

Calling the Taskforce, a 'Trustforce,' Joshi said it reflects the confidence that India and the United Kingdom can work together to address real execution challenges. He urged that the platform deliver time-bound workstreams, measurable milestones, and visible progress, converting global lessons into solutions tailored to Indian conditions.

Describing the India-UK Offshore Wind Taskforce as a working mechanism rather than a symbolic platform, the minister said it has been constituted under Vision 2035 and the Fourth Energy Dialogue to provide strategic leadership and coordination for India's offshore wind ecosystem. He observed that while the United Kingdom has demonstrated global leadership in scaling offshore wind and developing mature supply chains, India brings scale, long-term demand and a rapidly expanding clean energy ecosystem.

According to the release, he outlined three practical pillars for cooperation: ecosystem planning and market design, including refined seabed leasing frameworks and credible revenue-certainty mechanisms; infrastructure and supply chains, including port modernisation, local manufacturing, and specialised vessels; and financing and risk mitigation through blended finance structures and mobilisation of long-term institutional capital.

The minister emphasised that the next phase of India's transition must strengthen reliability, grid stability, industrial depth, and energy security, and that offshore wind has a strategic role in this journey. Promising offshore wind zones have been identified off the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu along with grid planning and required studies and surveys have been conducted through the National Institute of Wind Energy for the initial projects.

To support early projects, the government has introduced a Viability Gap Funding scheme with a total outlay of Rs 7,453 crore, approximately 710 million pounds. Joshi noted that offshore wind is among the most complex segments of the global energy transition, requiring specialised port infrastructure, marine logistics, robust seabed leasing frameworks, clear risk allocation, and bankable commercial structures.

Joshi further highlighted the synergy between offshore wind and India's green hydrogen ambitions. He noted that India is leading the Hydrogen Breakthrough Goal under the international Breakthrough Agenda and has achieved globally competitive benchmarks under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, with green hydrogen prices falling to a historic low of RS 279 per kg (approximately 2.65 pounds per kg) and green ammonia prices reaching Rs 49.75 per kg (approximately 0.47 pounds per kg), the release said.

Offshore wind, he said, can provide high-quality renewable power to emerging coastal industrial and green hydrogen clusters, strengthening energy security and industrial competitiveness.

Pralhad Joshi underlined that India's clean energy transition is defined by execution at scale. He informed that India's installed non-fossil fuel capacity has crossed 272 GW, including more than 141 GW of solar and 55 GW of wind capacity. In the ongoing financial year alone, India has added over 35 GW of solar and 4.61 GW of wind capacity.

With clarity of purpose and shared commitment, he concluded, offshore wind can emerge as a strong pillar of India's clean, reliable, and self-reliant energy future and a flagship of India-UK cooperation under Vision 2035, the press release said. (ANI)