GLOBAL WIND ENERGY COUNCIL
California, the EU Commission, Panama and Brazil join the Global Offshore Wind Alliance launched by Denmark, GWEC and IRENA

The Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) has welcomed Brazil, California, the EU Commission and Panama into its membership at a ceremony at COP28 in Dubai. The expansion adds 65 GW of declared target capacity to the Alliance, and positions it to play a crucial role in the expansion of offshore wind. 

Representatives from the Global Offshore Wind Alliance membership gathered in Dubai, UAE, to announce the new memberships of Califnornia, Brazil, Panama and Panama.

The Global Offshore Wind Alliance is focused on providing the support countries need to turn ambitions into truly transformative action, which ensures offshore wind delivers on its potential as a key  tool in the fight against climate change. COP28 has seen at least 119 countries, so far, pledge to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 - this will require the rapid expansion of offshore wind as a key tool in the new energy system that will be built this decade. 

GOWA's ambition is to drive the installation of at least 380 GW in 2030 and 2000 GW in 2050 in order to support the global energy transition and reach climate neutrality. To enable this, GOWA will work with its members to build clear financing frameworks, unlock the supply chain and share expertise around marine spatial planning. A new report from the Global Wind Energy Council, a GOWA founder, released at COP28 outlined that, "Clean technology manufacturing is one of the most pressing challenges and opportunities of the current climate and energy debate. We need collaborative thinking and action on trade, finance and policy measures that can effectively respond to the climate emergency." GOWA has an opportunity to demonstrate best-in-practice collaboration that can set the world on course for its Net Zero targets. 

Denmark's Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy, Dan Jørgensen, welcomed the new GOWA members, saying, "The fact that the State of California, the EU Commission, Brazil and Panama have joined GOWA shows that there is an increasing awareness of offshore wind's enormous potential. Offshore wind is a key technology on the path to achieve the target of tripling renewable energy by 2030, which we are working to have adopted at COP28. The announcement of new GOWA members contributes to mobilising momentum for this effort."

Ben Backwell, Chief Executive of the Global Wind Energy Council, said, "The expansion of offshore wind is absolutely fundamental to the world reaching the tripling target. The Global Wind Energy Council is delighted with the ambition set out by the COP28 pledge and GOWA provides the perfect toolset for delivering transformative action at the pace the world needs to stay on course for net zero.

"GWEC sees huge growth for offshore wind, with 323 GW built by 2030. The Global Offshore Wind Alliance creates a global community of stakeholders to drive the acceleration of offshore wind. The continued expansion of our diverse and dynamic group of public and private sector members ensures the Global Offshore Wind Alliance is a key asset in making offshore wind a mainstream energy power source."

Francesco La Camera, Director-General the International Renewable Energy Agency, said, "As nations at COP28 pledge to triple renewable energy, the Global Offshore Wind Alliance stands as a testament to what we can achieve together. GOWA is not just about generating power from the winds; it's about powering a collective vision for a sustainable, wind-rich future."

Chair Hochschild, California Energy Commission, said: California is proud to partner with to other national and subnational governments around the world to bring clean offshore wind power into the mainstream and achieve 2,000 GW worth of capacity by 2050. The State of California has adopted a 25GW goal by 2045 for installed offshore wind capacity and believes this clean energy technology offers tremendous benefits both to our grid and to our economy. California is thrilled to join the Global Offshore Wind Alliance in support of this important international goal.

California has set a target of 5 GW of offshore wind by 2040, and 25GW by 2040, while also having huge interest in floating offshore wind. The European Commission sees offshore wind as a key element of delivering on its climate targets, with a target of 111 GW by 2030, and 317 GW by 2050. Brazil has enormous potential for offshore wind due to its long coastline and will hold the G20 presidency next year. Panama have committed to developing an offshore roadmap for the country.

Background

The Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) has been founded by Denmark, IRENA, and GWEC with the ambition to create a global driving force for the uptake of offshore wind through political mobilisation and the creation of a global community of practice. The Alliance now comprises 18 countries, 2 sub-national states and a number of private sector and civil society actors. Since COP27, Spain, Romania, St. Lucia and the Australian State of Victoria have joined, ahead of today's four new joiners. 

The aim of GOWA is to contribute to achieving a total global offshore wind capacity of a minimum of 380 GW by 2030, with 35 GW on average each year across the 2020s and a minimum of 70 GW each year from 2030, culminating in 2,000 GW by 2050. 

GOWA's vision is a world in which offshore wind makes a significant contribution to the energy transition and the achievement of the sustainable development goals through large-scale renewable power generation, benefiting regions, countries and critical sectors such as industry and transportation. 

To benefit from the substantial potential and opportunities deriving from offshore wind, it is pivotal that governments, private sector actors, international organisations and other relevant stakeholders work together to remove the barriers to scaling up investment and finance. 

GOWA's Membership

• National/Sub-national
  Australia
  Belgium
  Colombia
  Denmark
  Germany
  Ireland
  Japan
  Netherlands
  Norway
  Portugal
  Romania
  Spain
  United Kingdom
  United States
  Saint Lucia
  State of Victoria (sub-national)
  New members as of COP28
  European Commission
  Brazil
  California (sub-national)
  Panama
• Companies/Stakeholders
  Ørsted A/S
  ESMAP
  Ocean Conservancy
  Vestas
  SSE Renewables
  Corio Generation
  CIP
  Ramboll

GOWA will work to: 

• Raise ambition on offshore wind amongst governments and other public and private stakeholders. 
• Support the creation of policy frameworks and efficient offshore wind value chains to bring new and existing markets to maturity through e.g., sharing of best practices and capacity building. 
• Create an international community of practice to drive action on offshore wind deployment as a key to achieving 1.5 degrees pathways. 

About GWEC

GWEC is a member-based organisation that represents the entire wind energy sector. The members of GWEC represent over 1,500 companies, organisations and institutions in more than 80 countries, including manufacturers, developers, component suppliers, research institutes, national wind and renewables associations, electricity providers, finance and insurance companies. 

Find us at: https://gwec.net/.

Contact

Rebecca Williams, Global Head of Offshore Wind, +447968349577, rebecca.williams@gwec.net
Alex Bath, Communications Director, +447515759537, alex.bath@gwec.net
Lisa Christensen, Press Advisor to the Danish Minister for Global Climate Policy, +45 41729062, limch@kefm.dk