Offshore wind is expanding, but project announcements do not all mean the same thing. In 2025, 9.3 GW was connected to the grid worldwide and cumulative installations reached 92.5 GW, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). Its 2026 outlook points to further growth, while a much smaller auction year and projects still awaiting investment decisions show why forecasts should not be mistaken for power that is already being built or delivered.
Global offshore wind: 2025 additions and the 2035 outlook
GWEC’s 2026 Global Offshore Wind Report says the industry connected 9.3 GW of new capacity in 2025, its third-highest annual total, bringing cumulative installations to 92.5 GW at year-end. China accounted for 6.6 GW of those additions. Europe added nearly 2 GW across the UK, Germany and France, according to GWEC. The council says the global market averaged 10% annual growth over the preceding decade. GWEC’s 2026 report sets out those figures.
GWEC forecasts more than 327 GW of new offshore wind capacity over the decade, which would bring the global total to 420 GW by the end of 2035. This is an outlook, not a list of projects already financed or guaranteed to reach operation. The report also puts the average turbine size installed in 2025 at 10.3 MW. Both figures are GWEC estimates.
Why Europe’s reported totals differ
The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports 1 GW of offshore wind additions in the European Union in 2025, down from 1.7 GW in 2024, and says only France and Germany added EU capacity. That is not directly comparable with GWEC’s nearly 2 GW for Europe, which includes the UK as well as Germany and France; the UK is not an EU member. The sources also report somewhat different totals for overlapping geography, so their numbers should be attributed separately rather than treated as a single reconciled figure. The IEA’s 2026 Global Energy Review gives the EU-only estimate.
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What the pipeline numbers mean
Three figures often cited for offshore wind describe different stages. They should not be added together or presented as equivalent measures of imminent electricity supply.
| Project stage | Reported figure | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Connected to the grid | 92.5 GW cumulative capacity at the end of 2025; 9.3 GW added during 2025 (GWEC, 2026) | Capacity already installed and grid-connected, including the year’s additions. |
| Under construction | More than 50 GW worldwide (GWEC, 2026) | Projects in the building stage. This is not the same as capacity already operating. |
| Consented, awaiting final investment decision | About 25 GW outside China (GWEC, 2026) | Projects with consent and planning permission, but not necessarily a final investment decision, grid access, auction result or subsidy arrangement. |
| Forecast new capacity | More than 327 GW over the decade, under GWEC’s outlook | A forecast for future additions, not a committed construction schedule. |
A project can clear permitting and still face unresolved financing, revenue support or grid access. Likewise, a project announced in an auction is not automatically under construction. Those distinctions matter when evaluating headlines about the size or speed of the build-out. GWEC describes the construction, consented-project and outlook figures in its report.
Notable project updates
Baltic Power, Poland: all 76 turbines installed
On 7 October 2026, Baltic Power announced installation of its 76th and final turbine. The project had already delivered first electricity to Poland’s grid, and commissioning and testing were underway. ORLEN said full operation was expected in the coming months. The installation milestone therefore does not mean the wind farm had begun full commercial operation. Baltic Power is described by its partners as Poland’s first offshore wind farm and is a joint project of ORLEN and Northland Power. Baltic Power’s 7 October update and ORLEN’s announcement describe the milestone and commissioning status.
Tonn Nua, Ireland: auction award, then planning and grid work
Ireland’s November 2025 ORESS auction awarded a 900 MW two-way Contract for Difference (CfD) for Tonn Nua, in the South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan. The IEA policy record lists price support of €98.7/MWh. An IEA Wind TCP report said the project’s 2026 focus was expected to be maritime planning and grid connection. An auction award is a revenue-support outcome, not evidence that the project is already generating electricity. The IEA policy record documents the award, while IEA Wind TCP’s Ireland annual report describes the expected next steps and its end-of-2025 view of later auction rounds.
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Why auction design and revenue certainty matter
GWEC says 11.4 GW of offshore wind was procured in auctions in 2025—about one-fifth of the 2024 record. That drop does not mean the construction pipeline stopped growing: procurement, construction and installed capacity measure different stages. It does, however, highlight the importance of whether a project can secure a workable route to revenue and financing.
The IEA Wind TCP’s EU report says some countries are moving away from negative-bidding auction designs after failed auction rounds in 2025 and toward two-sided CfDs. Under a two-sided CfD, the support mechanism is designed to stabilize revenue around an agreed reference price, with settlement in either direction depending on the market price and contract terms. The shift is not universal across all markets; it is a response reported for some countries. The IEA Wind TCP EU report discusses the auction-design trend.
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GWEC’s figures and the Tonn Nua award illustrate why auction volume alone cannot answer whether projects will be delivered. A procurement result may support a project’s business case, but the project still has to pass planning, financing and grid-connection milestones before construction and generation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What can slow a project down
Offshore wind projects depend on several linked pieces of infrastructure and decision-making. GWEC’s 2026 action plan calls for governments to coordinate long-term grid investment with auction pipelines, accelerate permitting, expand financing and scale and diversify supply chains. These are the council’s recommended priorities, not a guarantee that any single measure will eliminate delays.
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- Grid access: A consented project may still need a connection route, capacity and coordinated transmission investment.
- Permitting and maritime planning: Planning approvals and marine-area decisions can take time and affect when a project is ready to proceed.
- Revenue and financing: Auction rules and support arrangements affect whether developers can secure funding and make a final investment decision.
- Supply chains and construction readiness: Equipment, ports and installation capacity must align with the project schedule.
GWEC Deputy CEO Rebecca Williams said: “The planning and grid connection process can be painfully slow and beset with risks for developers and investors.” The quotation appeared in the council’s 9 June 2026 announcement of its 2026 report. GWEC’s report announcement provides the statement and its context.
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