APAC Wind Energy Summit chooses South Korea’s Incheon for 2024 conference

The South Korean city Incheon will host this year’s APAC Wind Energy Summit, 26-28 November 2024. The port city and main air gateway into the country has abundant potential for offshore wind development and provides a good setting for national and international groups to come together and drive the region’s offshore wind deployment. The APAC Wind Energy Summit is the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC)’s flagship three-day wind energy conference and exhibition for the Asia Pacific region. First launched in August 2023 in Melbourne, Australia, the high-level summit brings together industry leaders, policymakers, and institutions to address market challenges and jointly develop solutions for accelerating wind energy development in APAC. Through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 19 January, GWEC, Incheon Tourism Organisation (ITO) and Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) committed to the joint organisation of the summit. The signing of the MoU took place at Songdo ConvensiA, Asia’s first LEED-certified MICE venue. Stewart Mullin, COO of GWEC, had last year been on a reconnaissance trip to scope out potential venues and then told CMW’s Paul Colston that he’d been impressed with the Incheon venue. Mullin, having confirmed the Incheon hosting of his association’s event now adds: “GWEC sees South Korea as a key player in tripling renewables to meet the region’s net-zero goals. We are thrilled to partner with KTO and ITO for our second APAC Wind Energy Summit. “We chose Incheon as the host city for its close proximity to the international airport, state-of-the-art MICE facilities and easy access to a myriad of cultural experiences and recreational attractions offered by its vibrant tourism industry. We look forward to enabling delegates to create meaningful connections at the summit to rapidly advance wind power in APAC.” In December 2023, at COP28, countries around the world pledged to triple renewable capacity by 2030. The GWEC Summit will play a crucial role in translating that goal into action, particularly in APAC, a region which holds nearly half (49%) of the world’s 380 GW offshore wind potential. South Korea, a country bordered by three seas, is a key player in APAC for offshore wind and has committed to achieving a 21.6% share of renewables in its energy mix by 2030. With the support of KTO and ITO, the 2024 Summit expects to draw over 3,500 international and local delegates in Incheon to discuss how the region can step on the pedal for wind power growth. Chang Wook Jung, Director, KTO: “KTO understands the importance of renewable energy in today’s climate crisis. We have been pushing to promote clean energy conventions and have contributed to the growth of South Korea’s renewable energy industry. We hope the APAC Wind Energy Summit 2024 will be a milestone event in shaping the growth of renewable energy in APAC.” GWEC is also actively engaging with local and international think tanks, energy associations, and climate action groups to forge collaborations aimed at delivering an outstanding event. The venue for the APAC Wind Energy Summit 2024 will be Songdo ConvensiA. Businesses, government entities and organisations who are interested in sponsoring, exhibiting or attending the summit can register their interests here: https://gwec.net/apac-wind-energy-summit-2024 GWEC is a member-based organisation that represents the entire wind energy sector. The members of GWEC represent over 1,500 companies, organisations, and institutions in more than 80 countries.