GWEC and Irena push for 380GW offshore wind by 2030

The International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) have pledged to work together to push for faster and greater deployment of offshore wind, in line with 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Under a UN Compact agreement, Irena and GWEC will work together to help governments achieve 380GW of offshore wind installations globally by 2030, and 2TW by 2050. GWEC estimates that 35GW of offshore wind capacity was installed by the end of 2020.

In order to achieve these ambitious targets, the two organisations believe that greater stakeholder engagement is needed, alongside capacity-building, technical assistance and support.

“Irena and GWEC’s Compact will help ensure no country or region is ‘left behind’ by the sector, and make sure untapped resource potential is developed,” GWEC stated.

The two organisations will promote better understanding by governments of offshore wind and help assess the institutional and resource gaps that must be filled for the world to achieve the 2030 and 2050 targets. 

“Outreach and dialogue with policymakers in countries that are new to offshore wind will be crucial to “increasing the geographical spread of the sector”, they stated.

GWEC’s CEO Ben Backwell said: “Offshore wind undoubtedly plays a central role in global decarbonisation plans, offering solutions for everything from reskilling workers to providing the technology to bring new solutions like green hydrogen to scale. 

“However, these transitions will not happen without governments taking action, and this Compact will help world leaders do just that.” 

IRENA’s director-general Francesco La Camera added: “Offshore renewables constitute a critical pillar for decarbonising energy systems and fostering a global blue economy, supporting economic growth and climate resilience”.