Just under 10GW of new offshore wind capacity entered operation in 2023, according to latest data from the World Forum Offshore Wind (WFO) body.
According to the report, 25 new offshore wind farms with a total capacity of 9.8GW were taken into operation in 2023, with China accounting for almost 5GW of this.
A total cumulative capacity of 67.4GW of offshore wind capacity was in operation by the end of last year.
“The overall numbers reflect that – despite a bumpy year for the industry – offshore wind energy is clearly on the rise”, said WFO’s managing director Gunnar Herzig.
Herzig said: “We see that the global offshore wind growth slightly increased in comparison to the 9.4GW installed in 2022.
“China remains the front runner with a total capacity of 31.5GW up and running and 6.3GW currently under construction.”
The report also shows positive developments in Europe, where France more than doubled its total capacity from 482MW to 978MW with the Saint-Brieuc project (496MW).
Norway took Hywind Tampen into operation – with its 88MW the largest floating offshore wind farm so far.
In terms of offshore wind farms under construction, the UK and Taiwan are following China in considerable distance with 3.9GW and 2.4GW, respectively.
“While increased costs and supply chain bottlenecks must be taken very seriously, we as WFO feel the positive spirit of the offshore wind industry every day.
We will continue to foster exchange and collaboration to make offshore wind one of the world’s leading sources of renewable energy”, Herzig added.