Denmark makes international push for more offshore wind and a future beyond oil and gas

On Monday, Denmark hosted two events that gathered groups of countries and non-state actors to boost ambitions for more offshore wind energy and to put an end date on oil and gas production.

By State of Green | [email protected]

20 September 2022

The events took place at the margin of the UN General Assembly and in the framework of the New York Climate Week.

Denmark establishes new international alliance on offshore wind

On Monday 19 September, the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) presented its vision and ambitions to a wider group of international stakeholders for the first time. GOWA is a new international alliance comprising of governments, private sector actors and international organisations. The alliance aims to increase international ambitions on offshore wind – from 57 GW installed capacity in 2021 to 380 GW in 2030 and 2,000 GW in 2050.

GOWA is born out of a cooperation between Denmark, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Norway has already formally joined the alliance and it is expected that a number of other governments and stakeholders will do the same ahead of COP 27 in November, including the US, who participated in Monday’s event.

Offshore wind is key to the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the phase-out of coal, oil and gas. We need to massively boost the deployment of offshore wind on a global scale. That takes international cooperation and that’s why we need GOWA” says the Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities, Dan Jørgensen.

What is BOGA?

Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA) is an alliance of 14 national and subnational governments working to promote a managed phase-out of and gas production. Its core members have committed to end new licensing rounds oil and to set a Paris-aligned date for ending oil and gas production.

The aim of the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (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.

According to forecasts by the IEA and IRENA, 2,000 GW of installed offshore wind capacity will be needed in order to keep the goal of limiting global temperatures to 1.5°C within reach and achieve net zero by 2050.

Phase-out of oil and gas on the agenda

Last year at COP26 in Glasgow, Denmark, Costa Rica and 10 other governments launched the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA), which promotes a managed phase-out of oil and gas production. Denmark has led the way with the North Sea Agreement, setting 2050 as the definitive end-date for Danish oil and gas production.

Since then, the dramatic increase in oil and gas prices has underlined the need to speed-up the green transition. To promote this work, BOGA gathered leaders from governments, the private sector and philanthropy on Monday in New York to discuss how to garner the necessary political and financial support for the transition away from fossil fuels.

The science is clear. We need significant reductions in the production of coal, oil and gas towards 2050 if we are to live up to the Paris Agreement. With the North Sea Agreement Denmark has shown the way. Fortunately, we are not alone, and I’m pleased to see the great international support for BOGA. The meeting in New York is a good example of this” says the Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities, Dan Jørgensen.