Tuesday 29 August 2023

Global offshore wind hits record growth

The global offshore wind industry demonstrated remarkable progress in 2022, adding an impressive 8.8GW of clean energy capacity to global grids.

According to the recently published Global Offshore Wind Report 2023 by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), countries will build an extensive 380GW of new offshore wind capacity by 2032.

Nearly half of this capacity surge is anticipated to stem from the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

The APAC region - excluding China - boasts over 180GW of identified capacity potential, with Australia contributing a substantial 50GW, the GWEC said.

The report underscores the need for collaboration between governments and industries to overcome obstacles such as supply chain complexities, permitting procedures, and policy frameworks.

Ben Backwell, Chief Executive Officer of GWEC, has stressed the importance of addressing these hurdles to ensure the robust growth and resilience of the global offshore wind sector.

Rebecca Williams, Global Head of Offshore Wind at GWEC, said: "The time has come to take a new, simpler approach to policy for offshore wind.

"Such an approach should prioritise the delivery of large volumes of offshore wind, supported by incentive-based industrial policies to deliver the socio-economic benefits the world now expects from the industry."