Record 6.1 GW of new offshore wind energy capacity installed globally in 2019

The global offshore wind power industry installed a record 6.1 GW of new wind farm capacity in 2019, bringing total capacity to 29 GW. Europe remained the largest market for offshore wind turbines, accounting for 59 per cent of new installations in 2019, while the Asia-Pacific region accounted for the remaining 41 per cent.

China remains the overall leader in new installations for offshore wind energy, adding more than 2.3 GW capacity in 2019, with the UK and Germany in second and third place, installing 1.8 GW and 1.1 GW respectively.
Offshore wind turbines accounted for approximately 10 per cent of new wind power installations in 2019, an increase from 5 per cent in 2015.
GWEC expects over 50 GW of new offshore wind farm capacity to be installed from 2020-2024, as projects in emerging markets with ambitious targets for offshore wind energy such as the US, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam and South Korea are realised.
The latest data released by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) shows that the global offshore wind energy industry added 6.1GW of offshore wind farm capacity in 2019, a record year for the industry and an impressive 35.5 per cent increase on the previous year, which saw 4.5 GW installed. This growth is set to accelerate, with GWEC Market Intelligence’s preliminary forecasts finding that an additional 50 GW of new offshore wind turbines capacity could be installed by 2024 globally. This would mean that total installed offshore wind farm capacity could reach nearly 90 GW globally over the next five years, an increase of almost 207 per cent from today’s capacity.

Eight markets reported new offshore wind energy installations in 2019:

China – 2395 MW
United Kingdom – 1764 MW
Germany – 1111 MW
Denmark – 374 MW
Belgium – 370 MW
Taiwan – 120 MW
Portugal – 8 MW (floating)
Japan – 3 MW (floating)

Ben Backwell, CEO at GWEC commented: “In 2019, we continued to see the strong growth trend of offshore wind power, which now makes up 10 per cent of total wind energy installations. While mature markets in Europe continue to account for the majority of these installations, Asia Pacific is now increasingly contributing to this growth, with China leading the way as the global offshore wind leader in new capacity. It is also exciting to see floating wind capacity being installed in 2019, as once this technology reaches industrial scale, it  will open up whole new markets and opportunities for offshore wind”.

“Offshore wind power is a huge opportunity to meet our climate targets, as it can replace expensive imported fuels, provide clean energy solutions to countries that have limited for land availability, and supply increasingly competitive zero-carbon energy at a massive scale. The economic benefits of offshore wind cannot be understated, with the potential to generate  of hundreds of billions of dollars in investments, create tens of thousands of jobs and build a supply chain that can all contribute to thriving local economies”, he added.