Bhubaneswar, July 28 -- The Centre on Tuesday has ruled out offshore wind energy projects along the Odisha coast for the present, citing low wind potential and challenging seabed conditions that make such ventures technically and commercially unviable.
In a written reply to a question by BJD Rajya Sabha MP Subhasish Khuntia on Tuesday, Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik said preliminary assessments indicate average offshore wind speeds of 6.0-7.0 metres per second at a hub height of 150 metres, translating into an estimated capacity utilisation factor (CUF) of 32-35 per cent.
Naik said the Odisha coast is characterised by a steep seabed gradient, with water depths increasing from around 50 metres to nearly 1...