World Forum Offshore Wind (WFO) has published its Global Offshore Wind Report 2020. Globally, 5,206MW of offshore wind capacity went into operation during 2020 compared to 5,194 MW in 2019. This translates into an annual growth rate of 19,1% for the global offshore wind industry.
Last year, 15 new offshore wind farms went into operation in the UK, China, Germany, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands and the USA. As of today, 162 offshore wind farms are up and running around the world. The UK remains the world’s biggest offshore wind market with 10.4 GW of total installed capacity. Germany only narrowly retains its second place with a total of 7.7 GW of operational capacity. China, currently in third place, is rapidly catching up with 7.1 GW of installed offshore wind power of which 2,062 MW were added in 2020.
Looking at offshore wind farms under construction, China and the UK clearly lead the way. The Chinese offshore wind sector is growing rapidly with a total capacity of 4,372 MW currently under construction. The UK is in second place with a total capacity of 3,705 MW under construction. In Germany, the disruption in the market caused by changes to the regulatory framework for offshore wind back in 2017 is reflected by zero capacity currently under construction.