China Now Controls 56% of the World's Offshore Wind Power
China now owns more than half the world's offshore wind capacity — and Western countries, including the UK, are struggling to respond without paying a steep price.
By the end of 2025, total global offshore wind capacity reached 92.5 GW, according to DLR satellite analysis. China accounts for 52 GW of that — 56% of the entire global total. The UK, the world's second-largest offshore wind operator with around 15 GW (roughly 19% of global capacity), has watched its lead evaporate since China overtook it in 2021 and has since tripled its installed base.
Eight years at the top
China added 7.2 GW of new offshore wind capacity in 2025 alone — about 78% of all new installations worldwide that year. Global additions reached 9.3 GW, a 16% increase on the previous year, and China drove almost all of it. That marks eight consecutive years in which Beijing has led annual offshore wind installations. The scale reflects a deliberate state strategy: China controls not just turbine manufacturing but the full component supply chain, from steel towers to the permanent magnets inside generators. That control keeps Chinese turbine costs at roughly $1,520 per kilowatt, per IRENA 2024 data. European equivalents from Vestas and Siemens Gamesa run around $3,389 per kilowatt — more than double.
The UK's security dilemma
That cost gap is where the politics get complicated. The UK government vetoed turbines from Chinese manufacturer Mingyang Smart Energy in spring 2026, citing national security concerns over sensor data access in critical energy infrastructure. The decision narrows options for UK developers trying to hit the government's 50 GW offshore wind target by 2030, per analysis from Dialogue Earth. Locking out the cheaper supplier while European alternatives cost twice as much will either raise project costs or slow construction timelines — possibly both.
Locked in or left behind?
The deeper issue is supply chain dependency. Most turbine components are manufactured in China, which means even projects that don't use Chinese turbines may still rely on Chinese-made parts. The GWEC has consistently called for faster global energy transition; China is demonstrating what that looks like when a single country controls the industrial base. For the UK and Europe, the question is no longer whether to engage with Chinese wind technology — it's how much leverage they have left to set the terms.
