A new policy paper from Ocean Energy Pathway, “The Untapped Power of BRICS: Can Offshore Wind Be Their Next Big Leap?” seeks to understand how enhanced collaboration among BRICS countries can serve as a catalyst for scaling offshore wind.
The paper emphasises how offshore wind can seize the momentum created by the Roadmap for BRICS Energy Cooperation 2025–2030, which calls for increased integration, innovation, and resilience across clean energy systems. Offshore wind offers a concrete pathway for operationalizing this vision – strengthening cross-border industrial supply chains, boosting local job creation, and enhancing energy security across the Global South.
The Untapped Power of BRICS: Can Offshore Wind Be Their Next Big Leap?
Download PDFThis policy paper maps the current status and trajectory of offshore wind (OSW) in BRICS nations, assessing opportunities and challenges. It explores insights to unlock investments in OSW in the BRICS as a cornerstone solution for green industrialisation, economic development and energy diversification/resilience.
The world stands at a critical juncture in the global energy transition. As countries grapple with the urgency of delivering on the Global Stocktake (GST) goals, particularly the collective commitment to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030, offshore wind has emerged as a cornerstone solution, offering vast, underutilized potential. Among the key actors capable of reshaping the renewable energy landscape are the BRICS+ countries. Collectively, these nations represent not only immense demand for clean energy but also a unique opportunity for technological cooperation, investment alignment, and policy coordination.
BRICS leadership is essential to unlocking the next wave of offshore wind deployment.
Julia Paletta, Brazil Country Head (OEP)
Recommendations
The policy paper proposes five strategic directions for south-south cooperation between BRICS to unlock offshore wind in the context of the Roadmap for BRICS Energy Cooperation 2025–2030.
- Offshore wind as a converging point of BRICS Renewable Strategies by 2027: BRICS+ members can exchange best practices through technical workshops, data repositories, seminars, pilot projects and joint training members whilst the Energy Research Cooperation Platform (ERCP) offers a dedicated channel for OSW inter-bloc interaction;
- China’s leadership as a driver of offshore wind readiness in BRICS: Through the BRICS+ multilateral framework, countries can harness China’s experience by sharing strengths and addressing technological, financial, and knowledge data;
- New Development Bank (NBD) as a financial catalyst for the BRICS Offshore Wind Industry: The New Development Bank (NDB) can act as a key enabler by offering tailored financial tools and provides direct support to OSW through long-term loans, green credit lines, risk guarantees, and investment in infrastructure;
- Coordination of inter-bloc OSW implementation and capturing trading opportunities: Coordination can accelerate deployment, align strategic priorities, and unlock trade opportunities across members by reducing trade trade barriers, facilitating intra-bloc commerce, and enhancing industrial integration;
- Powering economic transformation and sustainable development through Offshore Wind deployment: OSW can generate high-quality employment creating opportunities for sustainable economic growth, through synergies with the oil and gas (O&G) and wind energy sectors, while presenting a great opportunity for decarbonization of the fossil sector within the bloc. Early investment in local OSW supply chains can enable BRICS+ countries to supply into regional markets (e.g. SE Asia, S America, Africa).