A protected geographical location between the southern tip of India and the west coast of Sri Lanka, the Gulf of Mannar is a sensitive ecological zone as it is home to rare species of flora and fauna. The area is, however, also the spot where offshore wind power projects are being planned – a move that has sparked concerns among the local community which depends on fishing for its livelihood.
The northern sector of GoM is the first marine biosphere reserve of India. According to the Tamil Nadu government, the Gulf of Mannar has about 4,223 species of flora and fauna. The world-renowned pearl oyster banks in the region supplement the rich marine biodiversity and continue to draw the attention of not only conservationists, but also tourists, researchers, and historians. To imagine giant turbines in this seascape is hard for the fishers of the region.
In February 2022, the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) issued a tender for the supply and installation of a floating LiDAR buoy which will collect data such as the wind speed and direction, sea surface temperatures and wave heights and directions for the Gulf of Mannar. The offshore wind project, however, will take some time as it is expected to be installed only once the data collection is done and required impact assessment studies are complete.
At present, wind power accounts for 40.12 gigawatts (GW) of the 106.3 GW installed capacity of renewable energy in India. By 2030, of the estimated 450 GW installed capacity, 140 GW is expected from wind power projects. However, with land increasingly becoming a scarce commodity, offshore wind projects are expected to play a crucial part in India’s clean energy transition plans.
Though India is yet to establish an offshore wind power project, the global installed capacity of offshore wind energy projects is about 35 GW and by 2030 it is expected to be about 270 GW, according to the Global Offshore Wind Report 2021. India has a target of 30 GW of offshore wind installations by 2030.
According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), more than 95 percent of commercially exploitable wind resources are concentrated in seven states – Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.
To add offshore wind projects to India’s renewable energy mix, a knowledge hub called the Centre of Excellence for Offshore Wind and Renewable Energy, was recently set up by India and Denmark. This joint initiative between the Indian government’s MNRE and the Danish Energy Agency (DEA) is aimed to create an enabling environment for offshore wind farms in India. Thus, it is no surprise that the Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu has been chosen by this Centre as one of the most attractive and economically viable site areas for offshore wind in India. But before Tamil Nadu leads the offshore wind revolution it must face a fair share of challenges.
Fishers’ lives to change
For generations, the fishers living in Dhanushkodi and the villages near the Gulf of Mannar have been practicing traditional fishing and pearl oyster collection. But their lives will change drastically in one way or another, very soon.
The local people fear that there are going to be huge cranes, heavy machinery and big turbines interrupting their occupation, even if it’s temporary. “Ports are relatively smaller in size; need significant modification efforts for readiness to OWF (Offshore Wind Farm) installation,” reads an important recommendation for Tamil Nadu from the Global Wind Energy Council report from April 2021, which means that there is going to be a huge infrastructure change. However, the fishers believe that the wind turbines would mean permanent electricity for the area.
The fisherfolk of Dhanushkodi live close to the sea in huts owing to their occupation but have brick houses a few kilometres away. Over the past few years, most of them have installed solar panels over their huts and are now used to meeting their energy needs with a clean source. Although the knowledge that offshore wind is a clean energy resource gives them happiness, they fear that it might threaten their occupation.
“Solar energy has been very useful for us. If solar technologies are improved, we will get to run more appliances and that will be enough. Our children are able to study with the lights we have, and we feel secure. However, there are complications with the wind turbines. We can’t tell yet, how it will alter the seascape and where the turbines are going to be installed. It could get really challenging when we are pursuing an already difficult profession,” M. Kodikumar, a fisherman from Dhanushkodi, told Mongabay-India, as his wife Eeswari, displayed the TV and lights run by solar power in their hut…