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The UK government has announced it is joining the Global Offshore Wind Alliance at the COP27 climate change summit currently taking place at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.
The alliance was launched in September with the aim of boosting global offshore wind capacity by more than sixfold by the end of the decade from around 60GW today to 380GW in 2030 – an annual increase of 35GW.
It has also set a longer-term target of reaching 2,000GW offshore wind capacity by 2050, requiring annual installations of 70GW per year from 2030 onwards.
A number of other countries have also announced their entry to alliance at COP27, including the US, Germany, Japan, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland.
The alliance was established by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Global Wind Energy Council and the Danish government to bring together politicians, the private sector and international organisations.
As well as encouraging governments to increase their offshore wind ambitions, the organisation will also seek to support the development of effective policy frameworks and efficient supply chains, for example, through the sharing of best practice and capacity building.
RenewableUK chief executive Dan McGrail said: “Today’s announcement represents a major vote of confidence in our world-class offshore wind industry by the UK government. Offshore wind is cutting bills for British consumers and reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels, so the challenge for the UK, and countries around the world, is scaling up this technology as quickly as we can in the face of global energy and climate crises.
“While offshore wind is central to the UK’s plans for net zero, to meet the goals set at COP26 to tackle dangerous climate change we’re going to need a wide range of clean power sources. So it’s crucial that the government works with industry to maximise the benefits of key technologies like onshore wind and solar. And the UK can be a world leader in the next generation of renewables, from floating wind to tidal power and green hydrogen.
“UK leadership in offshore wind is already setting a path for others to follow, and faster action at home will mean more growth in new industries, investment and jobs”.
The UK currently has almost 14GW of operational offshore wind capacity and a target of increasing this to 50GW by 2030. Almost 7GW of offshore wind projects secured agreements in the latest round of Contracts for Difference auctions earlier this year. Wind generation in Great Britain hit a new record high of more than 20GW last week.
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