Offshore wind can transform the global energy landscape by 2033 if the 410 gigawatts (GW) of potential capacity forecasted by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) is realized.
The finding, in this year’s Global Offshore Wind Report 2024 from GWEC, revealed how with the right frameworks and support, the world could bring total capacity to 487 GW of offshore wind (OSW) in the first years of the next decade.
The Philippine government has so far awarded multiple wind energy contracts, streamlined its permitting processes, and is set to release an improved marine spatial plan to aid in the development of offshore wind.
“Wind will play a huge role for the government, essentially for the country to achieve that. It’s still less than 450 MW onshore but there are several contracts, wind contracts already sort of being developed to ensure that we have installations in the next few years or so,” GWEC’s Philippines Country Manager Ann Margaret Francisco said in an interview with Power Philippines.
Under the clean energy scenario of the Philippine Energy Plan 2023 to 2050, wind energy had delivered up to 1.03 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2022, and is expected to contribute up to 56.32 TWh in 2040, and 144.54 TWh in 2050.
Meanwhile, GWEC Policy and Project Manager WengHan Tan said that the Philippines is ‘accelerating decarbonization’ in terms of laws and regulations, considering that offshore wind is the only RE with its own executive order, which mandates DOE to develop a policy and a framework to fast-track offshore wind permits and support the growth of offshore wind (OSW) projects in the country.
“Philippines has been one of the RE pioneers in South East Asia since the introduction of RE and FiT laws. Given its complexity, it is a process of trusting the government again for them to create the right framework including laws and regulations for offshore wind, which is crucial in helping the Philippines to achieve its decarbonization goal,” said Tan.
GWEC, which has been in the Philippines since 2021, has recognized the country as a fast-moving market for offshore wind, and is establishing wind power as a solution to the climate crisis. The council coordinates with the local government, renewable energy associations, and other stakeholders in order to create a policy environment that would strengthen the wind energy market.
Recently, GWEC organized a port workshop together with the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC), the Philippine Ports Authority, the government, and stakeholders to discuss the framework, ensuring that developers as well as port operators are involved in the offshore wind plan.
GWEC also organized a Green Energy Auction Program (GEAP) workshop with the Developers of Renewable Energy AdvanceMent Inc. (DREAM), exchanging discussions with offshore wind developers and working on ironing out issues in the entry of OSW.
GWEC is an organization representing key stakeholders in the wind energy industry. Its mission is to advance the sector by promoting favorable policies, partnering with governments, and developing new wind power projects, all aimed at propelling the global conversation on wind energy.
It looks to conduct a study to assess the Philippines’ supply chain capability and readiness, as well as the potential impacts of offshore wind development on the marine environment.
