India is on track to achieve 7.5-8 GW wind energy capacity addition in the current fiscal year, according to Rajesh Kulhari, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy. Speaking at the EU-India Wind Energy Business Summit 2026 at WindEnergy Hamburg, Kulhari reported that India has already added over 6 GW of wind energy capacity in 2025-26. The country has installed 2.42 GW of wind energy capacity till August 31 in the current fiscal year (April to August), as reported by Business Standard. However, this still falls short of the 10-GW-a-year needed for the 100 GW by FY30 goal, with Tanti believing it represents a step in the right direction.
Suzlon Group co-founder Girish Tanti highlighted a significant 30 GW repowering opportunity in India that is finally starting after years of discussion. Speaking exclusively to CNBC-TV18 at WindEnergy Hamburg, Tanti noted that repowering requires more than just replacing old turbines with new ones - it demands technical innovation, commercial innovation, and legal groundwork as old land agreements, power contracts, and grid permissions must be renegotiated. Suzlon plans to reuse existing foundations and towers, which will cut costs and reduce time significantly. The company has already won a small order in this segment with potentially more to follow, positioning itself well to capture this upgrade opportunity as India's wind farms are due for an upgrade.
Industry visibility shows 85 GW of wind energy capacity expected to be commissioned before 2030, with Tanti noting there are still about 5 years remaining for project development. He stressed that bidding momentum in India must continue beyond 2030 to realize the Viksit Bharat by 2047 Vision. While the solar industry faces concerns of excess capacity and fluctuating bid tariffs, Tanti sees the real change in tender design, with most Suzlon tenders being either pure wind or FDRE (Firm and Dispatchable Renewable Energy). He expects new bids to have a greater wind + solar mix than just standalone wind or solar, with wind filling the gap as solar output drops off at dusk when evening demand peaks.
Suzlon is moving toward a DevCo-led model, where it develops project sites itself and offers customers a ready-to-build project instead of just turbines. Tanti expects about 60% of future orders to come through this route, with the order book settling at about 50% DevCo, the rest coming from EPC and increasingly from FDRE projects. Despite Chinese OEMs bidding aggressively in India, Tanti remains confident that healthy rivalry keeps companies sharp and brings prices down for customers. The company is also foraying into Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) as demand takes off and growing rapidly, with newer businesses gaining good traction.
Tanti outlined significant infrastructure investment needs, stating that eight crore circuit kilometres of transmission grid capacity are required by 2030, requiring USD 600 billion investment. He also highlighted opportunities in Europe's repowering of old wind energy projects, representing a 50 GW opportunity worth EURO 50 billion investment. The industry leader suggested implementing the National Manufacturing Mission and National Export Mission for full exploitation of wind equipment manufacturing capacity in India. India currently exports approximately 4 GW of wind energy equipment in 2025, while its manufacturing capacity stands at 24 GW including all major components, with the potential to reach 16 GW of wind energy exports by 2040.
