Canberra, Nov 16 (IANS): The Australian government has announced that it will sign up for an international commitment to build more offshore wind projects.
In a speech to the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) -- also known as COP27 -- in Egypt, Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen announced Australia will join the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA), Xinhua news agency reported.
The alliance aims to increase the global capacity of offshore wind power generation from about 60 gigawatts (GW) currently to 380 GW by 2030.
Australia has no operational offshore wind projects but Bowen said it was an exciting opportunity as the country aims to become a "renewable energy superpower" under the Labor government.
"Offshore wind offers exciting possibilities for Australia's energy system and will play a pivotal role in our transition to a clean energy future and our ambition to become a renewable energy superpower," he said on Tuesday night.
"We remain committed to last year's determination to hold the world as close as possible to 1.5 degrees of warming."
The latest federal budget, which Treasurer Jim Chalmers handed down in October, included 1.5 billion Australian dollars (about $1 billion) to fast-track the development of offshore wind farms.
In August, the government identified Australia's first six offshore wind zones, allowing developers to ramp up planning for projects.