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This time next week, we'll be well on our way to COP31 in Antalya, where electrification will be high on the agenda. But what powers that electrification matters just as much as the target itself. Türkiye’s ambition to reach 35% electrification by 2035 presents an important opportunity to accelerate the global energy transition. Offshore wind has a critical role to play in delivering the scale of clean electricity needed, while strengthening energy security, supporting industrial development and safeguarding our oceans. In my latest article, I explore what it will take to turn ambition into delivery, and why the focus must be on implementation. #COP31 #OffshoreWind #Electrification #EnergySecurity #RenewableEnergy Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) Global Strategic Communications Council (GSCC) Kathryn Thomas Martina Ghisolfi

🌊 Offshore wind can protect marine ecosystems and support the communities that depend on them. Experience from existing offshore wind markets shows that these priorities can go hand in hand. When projects are planned and developed responsibly, offshore wind can deliver clean electricity, protect marine ecosystems and support coastal livelihoods. We are already seeing evidence of what this approach can deliver: 🐟 At the WindFloat Atlantic project off Portugal, biodiversity monitoring identified more than 270 species around three floating wind turbines. Fish, octopus and other commercially important species were also found to be significantly more abundant within the project area. 🐟 In Chinese Taipei, GOWA member Ørsted is testing how offshore wind turbine foundations can support coral restoration. Its ReCoral project has transplanted locally cultivated corals onto turbine foundations at the Greater Changhua offshore wind farm, exploring new ways to support marine biodiversity. Putting oceans first also working alongside the communities that depend on them. For example, South Korea’s 2025 Offshore Wind Promotion Act channels developer fees into a Fisheries Development Fund, helping to support fishing communities alongside offshore wind development. For countries exploring offshore wind, these examples show that environmental protection and community engagement can work best when they are built into development from the beginning, rather than treated as separate considerations. At #COP31, the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) will help bring offshore wind into broader international discussions on climate and ocean action, highlighting its potential to support a healthier ocean, strengthen energy security and advance a just energy transition. 🦀 🔗 Find out more: gowa-energy.org #OffshoreWind #OceanHealth #Biodiversity #CoastalCommunities #EnergyTransition #GOWA The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities | International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) | Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) Sources: WindFloat Atlantic, Ørsted, Solutions for Our Climate (SFOC)

🌍 Offshore wind is indispensable to climate commitments, but its impact extends beyond emissions reduction. It can improve air quality, support public health and create long-term economic opportunities in the communities hosting it. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)estimates that at least 2000 GW of offshore wind capacity will be needed globally by 2050 to keep the 1.5°C goal within reach. Achieving that level of deployment will require faster progress across both established and emerging markets. 🫁 Research highlights what this could mean in practice. Offshore wind produces 99% fewer emissions per unit of electricity than coal, and 98% less than natural gas, but its impact goes beyond carbon savings alone. Analysis in China suggests wider offshore wind deployment could prevent 165000 premature deaths annually by 2050. ⚓ Offshore wind can also create long-term economic opportunities in the communities that host it, supporting jobs, supply chains and investment in coastal regions. Grimsby is one example, having become the UK's largest offshore wind operations and maintenance hub, supporting 12000 jobs in the Greater Lincolnshire area and contributing £1.2 billion a year to the local economy. For governments looking to scale offshore wind deployment, these wider benefits matter. Cleaner air, skilled jobs and investment in coastal communities can help build the public and political support needed to accelerate deployment. As discussions continue ahead of #COP31, demonstrating these tangible benefits will be an important part of the case for scaling offshore wind. 🔗 Find more examples of the climate and economic benefits of offshore wind on GOWA’s Solutions Bank: https://lnkd.in/gUdex6B7 #OffshoreWind #ClimateAction #CleanEnergy #PublicHealth #COP31 #GOWA The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities | International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) | Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) Sources: Forbes, Resources for the Future, Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission

🌆 Offshore wind is already supporting different markets to build cleaner, more resilient power systems. Its value is not only in the electricity generated by individual projects, but in how it works alongside storage, interconnection, flexible demand and other clean technologies. We are already seeing this take shape in different markets: 🔌In the Netherlands, the Hollandse Kust Noord project combines offshore wind with battery storage, floating solar and green hydrogen production to help optimise power generation and support wider system integration. 🔌In Chinese Taipei, Google will combine a 495 MW offshore wind power purchase agreement (PPA) with local solar, battery storage and geothermal energy to support its goal of operating on 24/7 carbon-free energy. 🔌In European modelling, offshore wind can complement solar and onshore wind to create a more balanced power system, with the potential to reduce total system costs by up to 30% by 2040. Offshore wind can also support resilience beyond national borders. Hybrid interconnectors and shared offshore transmission can spread the benefits of offshore wind across borders, making better use of infrastructure and helping countries respond to changing patterns of supply and demand. 🌍 Europe is already moving in this direction with nine nations committing to 100 GW of shared offshore wind capacity under the Hamburg Declaration, as part of a wider 300 GW regional ambition. For countries at an earlier stage of offshore wind development, these examples underline the importance of looking beyond individual projects. Planning generation, grids and flexibility together can help avoid bottlenecks, strengthen energy security and build resilience into the system from the outset. At GOWA, we bring governments and industry together to share knowledge from established and emerging offshore wind markets and support the conditions needed to scale deployment. 🔗 Find out more: gowa-energy.org #OffshoreWind #EnergySecurity #Electrification #CleanPower #EnergyTransition #GOWA The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities | International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) | Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) Council Sources: WindEurope, offshoreWIND.biz, Ørsted

🗺️ As #COP31 puts the transition away from fossil fuels in focus, countries will also be looking at how to deliver it safely, securely and affordably. Reliance on global fossil fuel markets can leave countries and consumers exposed to price volatility beyond their control. Locally generated renewable energy can reduce that exposure, strengthen energy security and provide greater system value over time. 🔒 Offshore wind can play an important role by reducing dependence on imported fuels through large-scale, domestically generated electricity. Once operational, it generates power without fuel costs, helping to provide greater long-term price stability. The benefits are already visible across markets: 💲 Global LCOE averaged $78/MWh in 2025, with costs typically falling sharply once markets pass the first 2–3 GW of deployment as experience grows, competition strengthens and financing risks decline. 🗾 In Japan, 1 GW of offshore wind capacity replaces roughly 0.8 billion cubic meters of natural gas, which could have saved USD 928 million under volatile 2022 import prices. 🛢️ In the UK’s 2026 auction, 8.4 GW of offshore wind was secured at an average price around 40% below the estimated cost of building and operating new gas generation. These examples show how offshore wind can be a practical driver of the transition away from fossil fuels, helping to reduce exposure to volatile fuel markets, support competitive electricity costs and strengthen long-term energy security. As COP31 approaches, the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) will focus on showcasing how offshore wind can support the implementation of the global energy transition and translate ambition into practical action. Through our work under the Global Climate Action Agenda, we will contribute to the priorities set out by the Türkiye and Australia COP31 Presidencies, including their focus on advancing the energy transition. 🍃 🔗 Find out more: gowa-energy.org #OffshoreWind #EnergySecurity #CleanEnergy #EnergyTransition #GOWA #COP31 The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities | International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) | Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) Council Sources: International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Zero Carbon Analytics and the UK Government

📖 🔦 Report launch: The Emerging Role of Offshore Wind for Energy Security in Small Island Developing States Today at #PreCOP31 in Fiji, the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) launched a new report exploring the emerging role of offshore wind in strengthening energy security and resilience across Small Island Developing States (SIDS). 🏝️ Launched at an event on offshore renewables for resilient Pacific Islands, hosted by GOWA and IRENA, the report explores the opportunities offshore wind could bring to island nations facing high energy costs, reliance on imported fuels and limited land availability. Many SIDS have strong offshore wind resources and could benefit from a high-capacity renewable technology that does not compete for scarce land. But offshore wind may not be the right option for every island, and its feasibility will depend on factors including resource potential, grid capacity, project economics, environmental considerations and access to finance. 🔍 The report highlights the practical steps needed to assess and enable future deployment, including stronger planning, marine spatial planning, improved financing conditions, technical capacity and regional and international cooperation. As countries across the Pacific and other SIDS work to build more secure and resilient energy systems, collaboration will be critical to turning offshore renewable potential into viable opportunities. With islands and oceans amongst the priorities at Pre-COP31 and #COP31, the focus on Pacific nations provides an important opportunity to advance this agenda. As part of the COP Global Action Agenda, GOWA stands ready to support countries and the international community in accelerating offshore wind’s contribution to climate action and the energy transition, and in exploring how offshore renewables can help build more resilient energy systems across island states. 🍃 🔗 Read the report: https://lnkd.in/eXEWHbzk #SIDS #OffshoreRenewables #OffshoreWind #EnergySecurity #EconomicResilience #GOWA #IRENA The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities | International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) | Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC)