Offshore wind projects up all over the world

Global offshore wind has surged 14% in the past year, with capacity rising from 74.7GW to 85.2GW — enough to power more than 11 million UK homes annually.

That’s according to RenewableUK’s latest EnergyPulse Insights report, which shows the UK retains its place as the second-largest offshore wind nation, with 15.6GW in operation, behind China’s 42.9GW.

Germany sits third at 9GW, followed by the Netherlands, Taiwan and Denmark.

And the momentum’s only building.

Another 27.3GW is already under construction globally, putting the world on track to smash through 100GW of operational capacity by mid-2026.

Long term, total offshore wind could more than triple to 244GW by 2030.

The pipeline is booming too. Across all stages of development — from early plans to spinning turbines — there’s now 1,219GW of offshore wind in play across 1,555 projects in 46 countries.

Emerging players like Indonesia, Chile, Guernsey, Bermuda and Malta have joined the race in the past year.

Closer to home, nearly 8.5GW of UK capacity across 13 projects could bid into the next clean power auction (AR7) later this year.

That figure could jump to 16.3GW if five other schemes gain consent in time — and as much as 25.6GW if the Government relaxes rules to allow planning-stage fixed-bottom projects in.

RenewableUK’s Deputy Chief Executive Jane Cooper said: “Our analysis shows that nearly 8.5GW of new offshore wind capacity could potentially bid in the next clean power auction – and this could almost double if further projects gain consent in time.”

But she warned investor confidence could be at risk if ministers press ahead with zonal pricing reforms that might dampen returns.

“We’re urging the Government to put the right framework in place to maximise this by ruling out zonal pricing which would deter investors at a crucial time as we’re building vital new projects to reach their target of clean power by 2030”