Global installations towards 16 GW in 2025: in the first half of the year alone the sector attracted 39 billion dollars in investments
Genoa – The global offshore wind energy market is projected for a historic acceleration in 2025, with new installations forecast to reach the record figure of 16 GW of additional capacity in a single year. This forecast marks a sharp reversal of the slowdown recorded in 2024, when expansion had settled at 8 GW, down 26% compared to the previous year. The increase is a sign of a recovery in global investments in the renewable sector, driven by decarbonization policies and a pipeline of projects that, at the end of 2023, exceeded 453.6 GW in total development.
The growth is driven by a massive influx of capital. In the first half of 2025 alone, offshore wind attracted 39 billion dollars in investments, exceeding the entire volume recorded in the whole of 2024, equal to 31 billion dollars. This data is part of a broader trend that saw overall clean energy investments reach 386 billion dollars in the first half of 2025. China confirms its position as the dominant market, holding about 44% of new global investments and maintaining a leadership position, having established itself as the region with the greatest installed capacity in the world together with Asia, which at the end of 2024 accounted for 43,592 GW.
In parallel, Europe is strengthening its position, particularly in the North Sea. The European Union recorded a 63% increase in renewable energy investments in the first half of 2025, an increase equal to 30 billion dollars more than the previous semester. The total installed capacity in Europe amounted to 35,670 GW at the end of 2024, distributed across 13 countries. Forecasts for the continent are ambitious: the leading European association estimates that 187 GW of new total wind capacity (offshore and onshore) will be installed in the period 2025-2030, with the industry currently generating 52 billion euros of GDP.
The future of the sector focuses to a large extent on floating technology. This solution, which allows the installation of turbines in deeper waters, represents a rapidly expanding technological and commercial frontier. The global floating offshore wind market, valued at 1.15 billion dollars in 2025, is projected to explode, reaching 177.32 billion dollars by 2037 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 52.1%. Despite operational floating capacity still being limited to 278 MW at the end of 2024, the pipeline of new floating projects exceeds 244 GW worldwide.
The push towards 16 GW per year reflects the consolidation of the technology and investor confidence. However, structural critical issues remain that need rapid resolution to sustain such a rate of expansion. Regulatory uncertainty, lengthy authorization processes and issues related to grid connection – with 45 GW already under construction and 56 GW auctioned globally – remain central elements that will define the profitability of large projects and the ability of individual states to translate energy ambitions into actual operational capacity.
