RenewableUK’s latest EnergyPulse market intelligence data report shows that the global pipeline of offshore wind projects has almost doubled over the past twelve months, from 429 GW of capacity a year ago to 846 GW now. The pipeline includes projects at every stage of development: operational, under construction, consented or planned.
China has the largest project pipeline at 98 GW, the UK is in second place at 91 GW (up from 55 GW a year ago) and the USA is third with 80 GW. Germany is fourth (57 GW). Other countries with major pipelines include Brazil, Sweden, Ireland, Vietnam and South Korea. Europe has a pipeline of 350 GW in total (with 26 GW fully operational) while the pipeline in countries outside Europe stands at 496 GW.
In terms of operational capacity, China leads with 24.5 GW, the UK is second at 10.5 GW, Germany third with 7.7 GW, The Netherlands fourth (3 GW) and Denmark fifth (2.3 GW).
For floating wind projects, the UK has the biggest pipeline at 32 GW. Sweden is second at 25 GW, Taiwan third (21 GW), while Ireland and South Korea are fourth and fifth, each with 16 GW. Australia, Italy, the USA and Finland also have significant floating wind pipelines.
The UK also has the biggest operational floating capacity at 80 MW, with two floating wind farms generating in Scottish waters. More are planned as part of ScotWind and in the Celtic Sea. Portugal is next with 25 MW, while Norway and China have 6 MW each. Equinor’s Norwegian 88 MW Hywind Tampen project is due to be operational later this year.
RenewableUK’s CEO Dan McGrail said: “The global growth of offshore wind over the last year is … staggering. Our EnergyPulse report shows that this technology is now a truly global industry, not just in Europe and Asia, but also with major projects underway in North and South American and Australia. However, [global development] can move faster if governments play their part by speeding up sluggish consenting processes and ensuring that new grid infrastructure is built when and where it’s needed. We’re working closely with ministers on this, and many other counties are following our lead.”
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