Half of Global Operational Offshore Wind Capacity in China

February 7, 2025, by Adrijana Buljan

The global capacity of fully operational offshore wind farms has reached 80.9 GW, according to RenewableUK, whose new report also shows China is leading in total operational capacity, new capacity installed in 2024, as well as in the capacity of the project pipeline.

The global operational offshore wind capacity increased by 15 per cent from 70.2 GW twelve months ago, with two markets accounting for 63 per cent of this new offshore wind capacity, China which added 6.9 GW and the Netherlands where around 1.7 GW went online last year. (the 1.5 GW Hollandse Kust Zuid and the 132 MW Windplanblauw nearshore project went into full operation in 2024.)

In terms of capacity in operation, more than half of the world’s operational offshore wind capacity is in China which has 41 GW connected to its grid. The UK remains the second for the fourth year in a row with 14.7 GW in operation, followed by Germany in the third place with 8.5 GW.

“This growth is set to continue, as the number of projects in the global offshore wind pipeline has increased from 1,461 to 1,555 over the last twelve months, and the number of countries involved in the sector is up from 41 to 44 as new markets continue to emerge, with the first offshore wind projects in Indonesia, Chile, and Malta confirmed in 2024”, RenewableUK said in a press release on 6 February.

The biggest project pipeline, which includes offshore wind farms at all stages of development (from projects in early development to fully operational offshore wind farms), is again in China which has 437 projects totalling 247 GW in generation capacity.

The UK remains in second place with a pipeline of 96 GW across 123 projects and is followed by the US with 79 GW, Germany with 68 GW and Sweden with 55 GW.

For the UK, RenewableUK’s latest Offshore Wind EnergyPulse Insights report also shows that 13 offshore wind projects with a total capacity of 7.3 GW are currently eligible to bid into this year’s Contracts for Difference auction (Allocation Round 7).

“Our latest EnergyPulse Insights report shows that the global offshore wind market is continuing to grow at an extraordinary speed year after year, as more countries look to seize the industrial, economic and environmental opportunities which the technology offers”, said RenewableUK’s Chief Executive Dan McGrail.

“The UK remains a world leader in this race, and the Government could strengthen that position further in the coming months by maximising investment in new offshore wind capacity in this year’s auction for new projects, as well as prioritising measures to support the growth of the UK supply chain in its upcoming Industrial Strategy.”