WindEurope forecasts record 24 GW of new wind installations in 2026

en.Wedoany.com Reported - According to the autumn report released by WindEurope, Europe installed 8.8 GW of new wind capacity in the first half of 2026, enough to power approximately 7 million European households and replace fossil fuel imports equivalent to 25 LNG carriers. Based on this, the association forecasts that Europe will install 24,000 MW of new wind capacity in 2026, making it a record-breaking year.

The report, titled "Latest wind energy data for Europe – Autumn 2026," notes that the wind industry is at the start of a growth phase that will enable it to sustain annual installations of 30 GW through the 2030s. Germany led installations in the first half of the year with 3.4 GW, followed by Denmark, Poland, Portugal, and France. The report specifically highlights Ukraine, which installed over 400 MW of new wind capacity within 180 days.

On the investment front, Europe committed €9 billion to new wind farms in the first half of 2026. WindEurope estimates this investment will finance approximately 5.2 GW of new wind capacity, of which 4.5 GW is onshore and 600 MW is offshore. Confirmed orders during the same period totaled 10,600 MW, comprising 7.8 GW of onshore turbines and 2.8 GW of offshore turbines, a 12% decline from the 12 GW ordered in the first half of 2025.

Governments have collectively awarded over 17,000 MW of wind capacity through auctions, including 9,744 MW in the UK, 5,894 MW in Germany, 808 MW in France, 298 MW in Greece, 243 MW in the Czech Republic, 201 MW in Austria, and zero in Spain. Based on these figures, WindEurope forecasts that Europe's total installed wind capacity will reach 436,000 MW by 2030, with the EU accounting for 342 GW, equivalent to approximately 27% of the EU's electricity demand in 2030.

Despite clear growth momentum, permitting remains a structural bottleneck for the industry. WindEurope cites Germany as an example of how significant results can be achieved when governments effectively apply EU permitting rules—Germany approved over 9,000 MW of new onshore wind projects in the first half of this year, on track for another record. However, most countries saw a decline in permits: Spain fell from 646 MW in the first half of last year to 309 MW in the same period this year, France from 840 to 743, the UK from 819 to 265, Italy from 538 to 505, and Ireland from 481 to 311.

WindEurope CEO Tinne Van der Straeten stated that 2026 is likely to be a record year for wind power, but this momentum cannot be taken for granted. She emphasized that permitting volumes are declining in key markets, and government decisions on permitting, auctions, grids, and electrification in the coming months will determine the trajectory of the industry's momentum.

The report also puts forward five policy recommendations: implement EU permitting rules to enable quality projects to connect to the grid; finalize the EU Grid Action Plan to plan for a net-zero, highly electrified energy system; channel Emissions Trading System (ETS) revenues into industrial electrification through the Innovation Fund and the Industrial Decarbonisation Bank; set binding renewable energy targets for 2040; and stop experimenting with auction designs, adopting bilateral Contracts for Difference to lower capital costs and unlock large-scale investment.