Many interests at sea are in fact shared, such as shipping, fishing, wind power, tourism, defence, and material extraction. Marine spatial planning should therefore clarify which interests take priority in various areas.
Spatial planning is one of the first activities to be undertaken in the process of building up a pipeline of offshore wind projects. In close cooperation with the National Institute of Wind Energy, the relevant geographical zones within the Indian territorial waters and exclusive economic zones are identified via a thorough stakeholder engagement with relevant ministries, government authorities, transmission and distribution companies (either national or private) and other national entities and organisations.
The permitting process for the development of offshore wind projects is a critical element prepared by the involved regulatory authorities. This requi¬res thorough planning and coordination amongst authorities in order to reduce risks to developers and investors. The concept of a single point of access – one-stop-shop – is an important organisational setup mitigating this regulatory risk.
The potential for relevant areas in the Indian sea space seems vast and may accommodate a large fleet of turbines producing clean energy for thousands of homes and industry.