Global alliance formed to boost offshore wind capacity

It aims to increase offshore wind capacity by 670% to 380GW in 2030.

The Global Offshore Wind Alliance was formed to drive the global offshore wind capacity by 670% to 380 gigawatts (GW) in 2030 to 57GW in 2021, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).

The new alliance, which aims to add an average of 35GW of offshore wind annually in the 2020s and a minimum of 70GW from 2030 to reach 2,000GW by 2050, was formed by the Government of Denmark, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and GWEC.

The goal is in line with the forecast of the IRENA and the International Energy Agency that the world needs 2,000GW of offshore wind capacity to keep the global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celcius and reach net zero by 2050.

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“There couldn’t be a more crucial time for this Alliance. Dependence on volatile fossil fuels has created energy security and cost of living crises while driving runaway global heating,” said GWEC CEO Ben Backwell. 

“With offshore wind, the world has an effective solution for adding large amounts of zero-carbon power at affordable costs, while creating jobs and new investments in industry and infrastructure all around the world,” he added.