World Adds 10.8 GW Of New Offshore Wind Capacity In 2023

World Adds 10.8 GW Of New Offshore Wind Capacity In 2023

In 2023, despite the macroeconomic challenges faced by the sector in some key markets, the wind industry installed 10.8 GW of new offshore wind capacity, taking the global total to 75.2 GW, a new report from the Global Wind Energy Council said.

The report said that the new capacity increased 24% on the previous year, a growth rate the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) expects to see continue up to 2030, if the present increase in policy momentum continues. 

This technology is poised for truly global growth after 2023 saw the second-highest annual installations as well as key policy developments that set the foundations for accelerated expansion of the industry over the next decade, the GWEC report said. 

In the next ten years, GWEC forecasts that 410 GW of new offshore wind capacity will be installed, bringing its deployment in line with global targets to install 380 GW by 2030. The majority of that will come at the turn of the decade, with two-thirds installed between 2029 and 2033. This rapid expansion of deployment must be built on a growing collaboration between industry and government and the creation of streamlined and effective policy and regulatory frameworks, it added.  

A release from GWEC said that this anticipated growth will be driven by the arrival of the next wave of offshore wind markets like Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brazil, Colombia , Ireland, India and Poland – where policy developments and unprecedented focus across governments, industry and civil society is setting the conditions for long-term offshore wind development at scale.

The report outlines a global growth framework for industry and governments planning to rapidly scale up development covering finance, demand and industrial offtake, supply chain development, permitting, social consensus, workforce development and grid infrastructure. GWEC’s position is that forecasted growth is at risk if this framework is not implemented.

Ben Backwell, CEO, Global Wind Energy Council, said: “Installing almost 11 GW is the leading edge of a new wave of offshore wind growth. Policy progress – especially across the Asia-Pacific region and the Americas – has set us on course to regularly install record-breaking capacity annually, and pass the 380 GW target set up by the GWEC. That means this techbnology is on course to achieve the tripling ambition set at COP28 in Dubai.

“Offshore wind is now so much more than a European, Chinese or American story. In the last year, GWEC has seen rapid progress in new markets where the key drivers for offshore wind are now in place – from government commitments to sustainable economic growth, to increased consumer demand and industrial decarbonisation.

Rebecca Williams, Chief Strategy Officer GWEC, said: “Governments around the world are choosing offshore wind for their people and their economies. We have reached the point in mature markets where the technology is now proven to have the ability to save households money versus conventional energy sources.