India has reportedly decided not to go forward with the proposed tidal power plant developments in states of Gujarat and West Bengal on financial challenges in implementation of these projects.
In August last year, India’s power minister Shri RK Singh approved proposal to declare ocean energy as renewable energy.
Shri Singh informed the Parliament that tidal energy cannot be presently harnessed on commercial basis due to high capital cost ranging from Rs 30 crores to 60 crores per MW.
According to Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, total identified potential of tidal energy is approximately 12,455 MW.
Based on the studies, there is an estimated potential of about 8000 MW of tidal energy, with 7,000 MW in the Gulf of Kambhat, 1,200 MW in the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat, and about 100 MW in the Gangetic delta in Sunderbans in West Bengal.
As for other ocean renewable energy sources, the theoretical potential of wave energy in India along the country’s coast is estimated to be about 40,000 MW. OTEC is said to have a theoretical potential of 180,000 MW in India subject to suitable technological evolution.