Europe must invest an additional €6.4 billion in port infrastructure and vessels to meet its offshore wind targets for 2030 and beyond, trade association WindEurope said on Monday, warning of supply chain bottlenecks without urgent action.
The EU aims to expand offshore wind capacity from 36.6 gigawatts (GW) today to 84 GW by 2030, which will require installing at least 10 GW per year and ramping up to 15 GW annually after that, WindEurope said in its latest update.
While Europe currently has the capacity to install and maintain around 10 GW per year, the group said maintaining that pace—and scaling beyond it—will demand further investment in maritime infrastructure.
The industry has invested €6.7 billion over the past three years, including €4.4 billion in ports and €2.3 billion in new vessels. WindEurope said an additional €6.4 billion is needed to build out the supply chain, including €2.4 billion for port upgrades and €4 billion for new vessels and fleet modernisation.
“Ports are the backbone of Europe’s offshore wind ambitions,” the group said. “Every wind turbine, every foundation, every cable passes through a port. Ports host the local supply chain and serve as construction, assembly and maintenance hubs.”
The organisation urged the European Commission to address the investment gap through its forthcoming EU Ports Strategy. It called for increased funding via instruments such as the Connecting Europe Facility and the European Investment Bank, faster permitting processes—where upgrades can currently take up to 10 years—and a coordinated EU-level mapping of port and offshore wind requirements.
On vessels, WindEurope said the EU Maritime Industrial Strategy should prioritise building and upgrading ships capable of handling next-generation 15 MW turbines. It also called for investment in clean fuels, such as electricity, ammonia and hydrogen, to help decarbonise maritime operations, which can contribute up to 20% of offshore wind’s lifecycle emissions.
WindEurope said aligning the EU’s ports and maritime strategies would be critical to safeguarding Europe’s energy security and competitiveness.
“Strengthening the supply chain must be a top priority if Europe wants to maintain its global leadership in offshore wind,” the trade body said.
