The findings were published in the report “Wind Energy in Europe: 2025 Statistics and 2026–2030 Outlook,” which revealed that a total of 19.1 gigawatts (GW) of new wind power capacity was installed across Europe over the past year, News.Az reports, citing Turkish media.
Onshore wind projects accounted for 90% of the newly added capacity. The 17.2 GW of onshore installations set a new annual record for Europe.
By the end of 2025, Europe’s total installed wind power capacity had reached 304 GW. Of that total, 265 GW was generated by onshore wind farms, while offshore wind installations contributed 39 GW.
Germany led the continent in new installations, adding 5,735 MW in total, including 5,232 MW from onshore projects and 503 MW from offshore developments.
Following Germany, Türkiye ranked second with 2,142 MW of new capacity. Sweden installed 1,767 MW, Spain added 1,563 MW, France contributed 1,414 MW, and the United Kingdom recorded 1,250 MW.
In terms of electricity generation share, Denmark stood out with wind energy accounting for 50% of its total electricity production. Lithuania and Ireland followed, each with a 33% share.
Investment in the sector also remained strong. Across Europe, €45 billion was invested in new wind energy projects during the year. These investments are expected to support the development of an additional 21 GW of wind power capacity in the coming years.
The report highlighted that, except for Germany, permitting procedures remain one of the main obstacles to wind energy investments across Europe.
In Germany, average permitting times fell to 17 months, while a record 20.8 GW of onshore wind capacity received permits in 2025.
The report also emphasized that strengthening electricity transmission and distribution grids is critical for expanding wind energy deployment.
In this context, governments are urged to accelerate grid investments and adopt a "first ready, first served" approach instead of the traditional "first come, first served" model for grid connections.
