Suzlon commissions first operational offshore met station in Arabian Sea

Suzlon Group, along with associates, commissioned their first Operational Offshore Met Station in the Arabian Sea. Suzlon group is actively working on offshore wind energy technology and has initiated techno-commercial feasibility study.

Under the guidance from National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) Chennai and approvals through National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) Chennai, Suzlon and its associates have installed their first Operational Offshore LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) based wind measurement station in the Arabian Sea, south west of Jakhau port in Kutch, Gujarat. The met station is expected to collect data for a period of two years.

The offshore wind data collection platform is installed at about 16 kms from the shore in the territorial waters of Gujarat under the control of the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) at a water depth of about 11meters (w.r.t Chart Datum), where the tidal range is 4meters (m). The support platform is at a height of about 14m above water level. Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) has provided the project with valuable insights about sea properties during various seasons, navigation routes apart from administrative permissions and facilitation.

The unmanned met station will be powered by solar energy and will be remotely monitored for maintenance needs. Engineers will visit the site for general inspection periodically and cater to the servicing needs in case of a breakdown. Additionally, an onshore mast of 150m has also been installed for validation / correlation purposes.

JP Chalasani, Group CEO, Suzlon Group said, “Given India’s coastline of 7,600 kms, the country has enormous potential for offshore wind energy and it can potentially repeat the success achieved in onshore wind energy. The government’s plan to auction 5 gigawatt (GW) offshore wind power capacities next year is a progressive move and will help the industry achieve the target of having 175 GW renewable energy capacity by 2022. Having pioneered the wind industry in India, it is indeed a proud moment for us to commission our first Operational Offshore Met Station. The installation of the offshore wind met station will aid in better assessment of offshore wind and will lead the way in harnessing India’s vast offshore wind energy potential.”