WindEurope has called for a comprehensive new agreement between governments and industry to revive the continent’s offshore wind sector, warning that Europe is not building enough capacity to meet its 2030 energy and climate targets.
The industry association said offshore wind remains essential to ensuring Europe’s energy security, affordability and decarbonisation goals. However, the region is “not building enough to stay on track for 2030,” WindEurope said in a statement.
Europe was initially expected to reach 120 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity by 2030 but currently has only 37GW installed and is projected to reach around 70GW, according to the group.
WindEurope highlighted a series of failed or underperforming auctions across major markets — including Germany, France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Lithuania — as well as lower-than-expected results in the United Kingdom, describing them as signs of a “weak business case” under current market conditions.
The organisation noted that governments have begun shifting away from negative bidding systems and toward contracts for difference (CfDs), which provide more stable long-term revenues for developers. Yet, it said, collective action still lags behind what is needed to accelerate deployment.
To address the shortfall, WindEurope proposed a “new deal” in which governments would commit to supporting 15GW of new offshore wind capacity each year between 2031 and 2040. Of this, 10GW annually would be backed by CfDs to provide investment certainty.
The group said such clarity would enable the sector to reduce costs by 30%, create jobs and attract new investment, while supporting the expansion of grid infrastructure.
WindEurope also called for faster progress on the European Commission’s proposed Tripartite Contract framework, designed to reduce investment risk in offshore wind and industrial electrification through public sector support.
The association urged European energy ministers meeting in Ostend to prioritise measures to “rescue the offshore wind sector” and ensure that projects already awarded can reach final investment decisions.
Without urgent policy alignment and market reform, WindEurope warned, Europe risks losing “investment, jobs and technology leadership,” jeopardising its long-term decarbonisation and energy security goals.
