Global offshore wind power capacity to hit huge milestone this year, report predicts

The global offshore wind industry is set to reach a milestone of 100 gigawatts (GW) of operational capacity this year, according to a new report – enough to power the equivalent of more than 100 million UK homes.

The latest EnergyPulse Insights report from trade organisation RenewableUK shows there are 374 offshore wind farms operating around the world, up from 347 a year ago.

Global capacity increased by 8% over the past 12 months, according to the report, from 82.5GW to 89.2GW fully operational. A further 18.8GW could be delivered in 2026, with projects completing in China, UK, Germany, the US, Taiwan, Poland and elsewhere. 

The report forecasts that 671 projects with 236GW capacity could be operational worldwide by 2030 – more than two and a half times the current global capacity. The total pipeline – including projects that are operational, under construction, consented, submitted into the planning system and at an early stage of development – stands at 1,565 facilities, with anticipated capacity of 1,157GW.

In the UK, operational capacity has risen from 14.8GW to 16.1GW over the past 12 months, with a further 11.5GW under construction and a massive 91.9GW at all stages of development.

China was also responsible for significant offshore wind growth in the last year. Together, the two countries accounted for 84% of the new capacity.

“Our latest EnergyPulse report highlights the extraordinary growth of the global offshore wind industry as we approach the milestone of 100GW of clean power capacity – that will be enough to power more than 40 million EVs for a year,” said RenewableUK chief executive Tara Singh.

“A significant level of private investment has gone into new offshore wind projects worldwide over the last 12 months, with final investment decisions worth nearly £40bn across 38 offshore wind farms, demonstrating the huge contribution the industry is making to global economic growth.”

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