Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) has called on governments to speed up offshore wind deployment and treat projects as critical energy infrastructure, saying faster development is needed to strengthen energy security and limit exposure to future energy market shocks.
The industry is nearing the 100 GW installed capacity mark. GWEC’s 2026 Global Offshore Wind Report, released on 9 June at the APAC Wind Energy Summit in Hanoi, shows global offshore wind capacity reached 92.5 GW by the end of 2025.
In 2025, 9.3 GW of new offshore wind capacity was connected to power grids worldwide. That was 16% higher than the previous year and the third-highest annual total on record.
GWEC expects annual offshore wind installations to double in 2026 and continue growing over the next decade. More than 327 GW of new capacity is forecast to be added by 2035, taking cumulative global offshore wind capacity to 420 GW.
The report projects a 24% compound annual growth rate for offshore wind between 2026 and 2030, placing the sector among the fastest-growing mainstream energy technologies.
More than 50 GW of offshore wind projects are under construction worldwide, while annual installations are expected to exceed 50 GW by 2035.
China remained the largest offshore wind market in 2025, commissioning 6.6 GW and increasing its total installed offshore wind capacity to 48.4 GW. Europe added nearly 2 GW across the UK, Germany and France, with the UK accounting for just over 1 GW.
GWEC said the sector still faces permitting delays, grid constraints, supply chain bottlenecks and weaknesses in auction design.
Around 25 GW of offshore wind projects outside China have already secured permits and planning approvals but are still waiting for final investment decisions. GWEC said unresolved grid connection, auction or subsidy arrangements often remain obstacles.
To address these issues, GWEC set out an eight-point action plan covering faster permitting, higher investment in grid and port infrastructure, improved auction frameworks, closer government-industry cooperation, wider financing mechanisms and stronger supply chains.
The report also calls for offshore wind projects and related infrastructure, including transmission networks, energy storage facilities and ports, to be classified as nationally significant infrastructure. GWEC said this would help reduce regulatory delays and improve investment certainty.
Rebecca Williams, GWEC’s Deputy CEO, said offshore wind built at scale is a strategic asset and one of the strongest utility-scale renewable power sources for a clean and secure power system.
Offshore wind accounted for 7.1% of total global wind installations by the end of 2025. China, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Taiwan represented more than 90% of the global offshore wind market. The average size of offshore wind turbines installed in 2025 exceeded 10 MW for the first time, reaching 10.3 MW.
