The environment and energy ministry on Thursday unveiled a draft bill that will legislate for the development of offshore wind parks with a capacity of 2 Gigawatts by 2030, for a period of public consultation.

Under the bill, the current body in charge of exploration for hydrocarbons will be responsible for deciding the location of these wind parks, which will be developed via a tender process favouring the lowest bidder, with the bill outlining the minimum requirements for participation by interested parties. It also makes ADMIE responsible for linking up the wind parks with the national electricity grid, with the cost recovered from the system usage charges.