Offshore wind developers and Carbon Trust have updated a common methodology for calculating the carbon footprint of offshore wind farms, aimed at improving transparency and consistency in emissions measurement across the sector. The Sustainability Joint Industry Programme (SUSJIP) brings together partners including EnBW, JERA Nex bp, Ørsted, RWE, ScottishPower Renewables, Statkraft, SSE Renewables and TotalEnergies. The programme focuses on accelerating decarbonisation across fixed and floating offshore wind projects by harmonising carbon reporting across the supply chain.
In September 2024, SUSJIP published its Offshore Wind Industry Product Carbon Footprinting Guidance. The updated version follows a review by an expert working group and introduces revised reporting templates, improved guidance on data quality, sensitivity and uncertainty, and additional use cases for applying the methodology.
Several developers have provided practical examples of implementation. ScottishPower Renewables has applied the methodology to establish portfolio-level baselines and identify emissions hotspots, supporting supplier engagement and lower-carbon design scenarios. RWE carried out a life cycle assessment for its Thor offshore wind project in Denmark, benchmarking internal tools against the SUSJIP methodology to assess carbon impacts and test options such as lower-carbon steel. Ørsted has used a similar life cycle assessment model to identify key emissions sources, including steel production and marine fuels, and plans further alignment to improve comparability.
Research by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe indicates that offshore wind has around 99% lower impact than coal-fired power generation. Despite this, further work is required to better understand lifecycle emissions, from raw material extraction to decommissioning.
The programme states that carbon footprint calculations can support the identification of baseline emissions, hotspots and decarbonisation opportunities. It adds that consistent, industry-wide alignment on methodologies remains essential to ensure comparability across projects.
