The state government of South Australia has launched a bid for the city of Adelaide to host the COP31 climate summit in late 2026, showcasing the region’s prowess in clean energy.

The government set out its case on Monday, saying the state is a pioneer in renewables, hydrogen and battery storage, and also has sufficient accommodation for more than 30,000 visitors. Welcoming delegates to the Adelaide Convention Centre would deliver local economic benefits of more than A$500 million (US$336m), it added.

State premier Peter Malinauskas said in a statement: “South Australia is already a world leader in renewable energy and decarbonisation and hosting COP31 would firmly put our state on the global map.”

The Australian government wants to co-host COP31 – expected to be held in November 2026 – with at least one Pacific Island nation. Turkiye also wants to host the summit and both will compete to convince members of their United Nations regional group – which includes Western Europe, North America and New Zealand – to back their bid at COP29 next month.

The Guardian reported that South Australia’s interest was welcomed by the Australian government, which also said it was working with Turkiye “to find a mutually beneficial resolution” on hosting the COP.

If the Australia and Pacific bid is successful, the co-hosts will then decide where to hold the annual UN climate talks. Malinauskas said, in comments reported by the Guardian, that major conferences are usually held in Australia’s two biggest cities – Sydney and Melbourne.

“Because of what we’ve been doing here in South Australia we now have an opportunity to say no to Sydney and Melbourne, and instead allow the federal government to choose Adelaide to host what will be one of the largest international conferences this nation has ever seen,” he said.

Renewables pioneer

South Australia currently gets 75% of its energy from renewable sources, according to the state government – and is aiming for net 100% renewables by 2027, one of the most ambitious targets in the world.

The “net” aspect of the target means that some non-renewable energy may be used at certain times but the