RenewableUK’s latest ‘Energy Pulse Report’ on floating offshore wind shows that the capacity worldwide of fully operational projects has surged worldwide from 277 MW 12 months ago to 382 MW today – an increase of 38%.
Nationally, Norway is in the lead with 97 MW, followed by France at 87 MW. The UK is in third place with 78 MW, with China close behind on 72 MW.
The report also notes that 2026 has already been the strongest calendar year for global floating wind deployment, with 109 MW going fully operational, beating the previous record on 108MW set in 2023. This year’s total so far includes two projects in France (30 MW) and one in Japan (17 MW). In June, the UK Government and Japan agreed an Offshore Wind Compact deal unlocking £9 billion of Japanese investment in UK floating wind projects.
Globally, the total floating wind pipeline of projects at any stage of development (fully operational, under construction, consented, in the planning system or in early development) stands at 152 GW across 300 projects in 26 countries.
The report states that despite ranking second, the UK has the most credible floating wind pipeline globally. The UK is the only major market worldwide which has a substantial amount of capacity with lease agreements already in place, as well as projects progressing through the planning system, a functioning Contracts for Difference mechanism and projects that have already secured support. 274 MW of floating capacity is expected to be operational in UK waters by the end of 2030, increasing to 1 GW by 2032 and up to 3 GW by 2034.
The report identifies new markets which are continuing to emerge worldwide. Greece has 1.6 GW of floating wind earmarked for future leasing and a further 8.8 GW under consideration. Malta is progressing its first project. Ireland’s floating pipeline has reached 3.8 GW, with further capacity expected after its national marine plan is published. Chile has two floating projects with a total capacity of 2.3 GW.
The report forecasts 1.7 GW of floating offshore wind could be operational globally by the end of 2030. China is expected to account for 66% of this capacity, followed by the UK with 16%. It states that China, the UK and South Korea are likely to be the only significant floating wind markets until the middle of the next decade. The UK is expected to account for around 85% of Europe’s floating offshore wind capacity by the mid-2030s, with France and Norway installing further projects later in the decade.
The UK has two fully operational floating wind projects – Kincardine (48 MW) and Hywind (30 MW) – and a project pipeline of 28.4 GW. A total of 592.5 MW of floating wind capacity has secured a Contract for Difference, and 832 MW is eligible for the latest Allocation Round (AR8) across five projects. Nearly 14 GW of floating offshore wind capacity, all in Scotland, is currently moving through the offshore planning system. 4.5 GW of large scale floating wind is now leased in the Celtic Sea.
