Newly forged multistakeholder alliance the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) has revealed its aim to increase installed global offshore wind capacity by 670%, from 57 GW in 2021 to 380 GW by 2030. 

The aim of the GOWA is to add 35 GW on average every year across the 2020s and a minimum of 70 GW each year from 2030, culminating in 2 000 GW by 2050. 

Representatives from the Danish, US and other governments, the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and the offshore wind industry met at a public event in New York on September 19 to discuss how to unleash the potential of offshore wind to drive the global energy transition and tackle the climate and energy crises.  

The event was an occasion for the partners around the GOWA to present the alliance's ambitions and visions and invite new partners from the public and private sectors to join. 

“While each country needs to take its own domestic action to address climate change, the current crisis requires us to all work together to make meaningful progress. The GOWA will give us an opportunity to do just that and the US intends to become a member when it is formally launched later this year.  

“We recognise the value in global cooperation on offshore wind and the critical need for each country to do its part in tackling the climate crisis, and we hope that many others will join us as well. It’s through collaboration that we can build a more sustainable future,” US Department of the Interior land and minerals management principal deputy assistant secretary Laura Daniel-Davis said. 

According to forecasts by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and Irena, 2 000 GW of installed offshore wind capacity will be needed to keep the goal of limiting global temperatures to 1.5 °C above preindustrial levels within reach and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.  

Despite this, global installed offshore wind capacity only totalled 57 GW in 2021. 

Irena, the GWEC and the government of Denmark, therefore, forged the GOWA to create a global driving force for the uptake of offshore wind.   

“A massive increase in energy from offshore wind is key to fight climate change, phase out fossil fuels and strengthen energy security. We cannot do it alone but must work together across the public and private sectors as well as across countries and regions.  

“The GOWA will be a platform to do just that. We have extensive experience in the field,” Danish Climate, Energy and Utilities Minister Dan Jørgensen said, noting that Denmark became home to the world’s first offshore wind farm in 1991. 

“I believe the GOWA can accelerate development of offshore wind globally. Norway has high ambitions for offshore wind. With our offshore oil and gas and maritime experience, our companies can play an important role in developing floating offshore wind. International cooperation is essential if we shall succeed,” Norwegian Petroleum and Energy Minister Terje Aasland said. 

Irena director-general Francesco La Camera said energy security and the energy crisis were forcing a re-evaluation of the world.  

“Offshore wind technology is the gateway to new sites leveraging high-wind resources. We can all benefit from wind farms built at gigawatt scale, making them an important addition to the world’s technology portfolio.  

“A blue economy driven by renewables also brings socioeconomic benefits to coastal communities. But to truly succeed, we need greater cooperation and this is why the GOWA can help by creating the partnerships necessary to drive the global energy transition,” he said.  

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) COO Stig Pastwa said the GOWA could become a much-needed green catalyst for increased offshore wind build-out to address climate and energy issues.  

“We need pace, predictability and faster permitting from all involved players to make the needed progress – and I hope that we can leverage GOWA as a joint public-private partnership to ensure action,” he said. 

GWEC CEO Ben Backwell said it was a crucial time for this alliance to be formed.  

“Dependence on volatile fossil fuels has created energy security and cost of living crises while driving runaway global heating. 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 said.