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Ocean's future to 2050

A sectoral and regional forecast of the Blue Economy

Energy

Offshore energy will grow slowly towards 2030, then slowly decline to match 2019 levels in 2050. 

Oceans Future Figure 4.1_358x400px


While offshore gas production grows before declining to around current levels, offshore oil production declines significantly both as global production reduces with decreasing use in transport and as production moves increasingly to cheaper onshore fields.  

Offshore wind production grows strongly from the 2030s, supported by it powering rising hydrogen production.  

By 2050, offshore wind will provide about as much energy as offshore oil, but 31% less than offshore gas.  

Offshore wind will supply 13% of electricity by then, indicating 14% average annual growth between 2019 and 2050.  

The installed capacity of fixed offshore wind (1,800 GW) will be slightly higher than that of gas-fired power generation in mid-century, while at the same time producing 25% more electricity.

Dive deeper: download the full Ocean's Future to 2050 report

PDF, 104 pages