RenewableUK’s latest EnergyPulse report on floating offshore wind shows that the capacity of fully operational projects has surged worldwide from 277MW 12 months ago to 382MW today, which is an increase of 38 per cent.

Norway is in the lead with 97MW, followed by France at 87MW. The UK is in third place with 78MW, with China close behind on 72MW.

The report also notes that 2026 has already been the strongest calendar year for global floating wind deployment, with 109MW going fully operational, beating the previous record on 108MW set in 2023. This year’s total so far includes two projects in France (30MW) and one in Japan (17MW). In June, the Government and Japan agreed an Offshore Wind Compact deal unlocking £9bn of Japanese investment in UK floating wind projects.

Globally, the total floating wind pipeline of projects at any stage of development (fully operational, under construction, consented, in the planning system or in early development) stands at 152GW across 300 projects in 26 countries.

Despite ranking second, the report states that the UK has by far the most credible floating wind pipeline globally. The UK is the only major market worldwide which has a substantial amount of capacity with lease agreements already in place, as well as projects progressing through the planning system, a functioning Contracts for Difference mechanism and projects that have already secured support. 274MW of floating capacity is expected to be operational in UK waters by the end of 2030, increasing to 1GW by 2032 and up to 3GW by 2034.

The report forecasts 1.7GW of floating offshore wind could be operational globally by the end of 2030. China is expected to account for two-thirds of this capacity, followed by the UK with 16 per cent. It states that China, the UK and South Korea are likely to be the only significant floating wind markets until the middle of the next decade. The UK is expected to account for around 85 per cent of Europe’s floating offshore wind capacity by the mid-2030s, with France and Norway installing further projects later in the decade.

RenewableUK CEO Tara Singh said: “The extraordinary surge we’ve seen over the last twelve months in new floating wind projects going live worldwide shows that the UK has a great opportunity to capitalise on our position as a global leader in this innovative technology. This year’s report highlights the fact that the UK will remain the most significant floating offshore wind market in Europe into the next decade, and that our project pipeline is at a more advanced stage than many of our global competitors.”

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