Europe’s offshore wind pipeline has expanded to 411 gigawatts (GW) across 386 projects, but a new report from the Energy Industries Council (EIC) warns that infrastructure shortfalls and slow investment decisions could threaten delivery of key 2030 targets.
According to the study, 84% of the pipeline remains in planning or feasibility stages. Just five of Europe’s 80 specialist offshore installation vessels are currently capable of handling next-generation 14–15 megawatt (MW) turbines, while essential port upgrades typically take six to 10 years—often misaligned with project timelines.
“Europe has scale in the pipeline, but delivery hinges on ports, vessels, auctions and faster investment decisions. Where those align, capacity arrives. Where they don’t, targets slip,” said Sharanya Kumaramurthy, EIC’s market intelligence manager.
Europe currently operates 37.8GW of offshore wind capacity across 150 wind farms with 7,178 turbines. The UK leads with 15.6GW installed, followed by Germany at 9GW and the Netherlands with 5.5GW.
Floating wind, a fast-growing segment, now accounts for 37% of the development pipeline, particularly concentrated in the Mediterranean and southern European waters.
Germany, despite a development pipeline of 31.1GW, faces delivery pressure amid concerns that negative bidding practices could increase costs and delay timelines. France advanced its position through auctions in 2024 focused on floating wind, while Norway awarded a contract-for-difference (CfD) at €99.4 per megawatt-hour for the Sørlige Nordsjø II project.
The report highlights the growing competitiveness of Chinese turbine manufacturers, who have reached 82GW of annual production capacity—four times Europe’s 20GW.
“Policy must lock in a predictable run of work and enable supply-chain finance,” said EIC’s global head of external affairs, Rebecca Groundwater. “Use non-price criteria well, accelerate port upgrades, and keep capital flowing through EIB and national tools.”
The EIC concluded that Europe must better align financial investment decisions with supply chain readiness, port infrastructure, and auction frameworks to remain on track for 2030 deployment goals.
