MANILA, April 20 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines, a country with a vast coastline and a rapidly growing demand for power, is taking its first step toward building an offshore wind industry and contributing to national energy security and global efforts to mitigate climate change.

The Philippines Offshore Wind Roadmap released on Wednesday by the Philippine Department of Energy and the World Bank Group shows that the Southeast Asian country has the potential to install 21GW of offshore wind power with the right long-term vision, infrastructure development, investment, and policies.

The new roadmap charts the potential for developing a robust offshore wind industry in the Philippines in two scenarios. The low growth scenario provides a roadmap for installing 3GW of offshore wind by 2040, making up 3 percent of the country's electricity supply, while the high growth scenario offers a roadmap for installing 21GW of offshore wind.

"It is clear from this roadmap that offshore wind can play a major role in meeting our country's energy demand indigenously while also accelerating decarbonization," Philippine Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said.

According to the World Bank Group, the Philippines has 178 GW of technical offshore wind potential. "Our analysis of the high growth scenario suggests that offshore wind power could create thousands of jobs by 2040 and provide billions in local gross value added to the Philippines' economy."

Ndiamé Diop, World Bank Country Director for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand, said the Philippines' waters are well-suited to offshore wind.

"This abundant, indigenous energy resource offers an opportunity for the Philippines to boost energy security, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and increase renewable energy supply," he added. Enditem

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