WindEurope Expects ‘Catch-Up Effect’ in Offshore Wind as Europe Connects ‘Only’ 2 GW to Grid in 2025

Europe connected 2 GW of new offshore wind capacity to the grid in 2025, according to new statistics from WindEurope, which said this was the lowest installation figure since 2016. The European wind energy industry organisation says it expects a catch-up effect in 2026.

Offshore wind made up 10 per cent of the 19.1 GW of total wind installations last year, with 17.2 GW built onshore, and only three countries connecting new offshore turbines: the UK (1,049 MW), Germany (503 MW) and France (408 MW).

Offshore installations were down from 2.6 GW in 2024, with construction delays accounting for most of the shortfall against earlier expectations, according to WindEurope’s new report.

Europe now has 304 GW of installed wind capacity in total, including 39 GW offshore. The EU accounts for 246 GW of the total, with 21.5 GW of that offshore.

In terms of power generation, wind supplied 19 per cent of all electricity consumed in the EU in 2025. Across the full fleet, offshore wind had an average capacity factor of 34 per cent, compared with 21 per cent for onshore.

Investment activity in offshore rebounded, with EUR 22.5 billion committed to new offshore wind farms in Europe last year, financing 5.4 GW of capacity. Poland led offshore investment activity, with four of the six projects reaching Final Investment Decision (FID), alongside one project each in Germany and the UK.

On auctions, 5.8 GW of offshore wind capacity was awarded two-sided Contracts for Difference (CfDs) in 2025: 3.4 GW in Poland, 1.5 GW in France and 900 MW in Ireland. A further 1 GW was awarded in Germany under a negative bidding model.

However, several planned auctions failed or were cancelled, including 3 GW in Denmark, 2.5 GW in Germany and 1 GW in the Netherlands that received no bids, WindEurope notes. In its new report, the organisation also emphasised that structural barriers, including slow grid development, permitting delays, supply chain constraints and slower electrification, continue to hinder the pace of offshore expansion originally envisaged for 2030, even as governments have reaffirmed longer-term ambitions beyond the end of the decade.

Looking ahead, WindEurope says Europe is expected to install 151 GW of new wind capacity between 2026 and 2030, 77 per cent of which would be onshore. Europe-wide installations are forecast to reach 25 GW in 2026, including 6 GW offshore.

By 2030, Europe’s total installed wind capacity is projected to reach 439 GW, including 366 GW onshore and 73 GW offshore.

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