Germany leads in new wind capacity as rest of Europe behind schedule

Germany led Europe in new wind power installations in the first half of 2025, though overall growth on the continent fell short of expectations, according to data from industry association WindEurope.

Wind turbines with a total capacity of around 2.2 gigawatts (GW) were installed onshore and offshore in Germany, putting the country at the top of the European ranking. Spain followed with 889 megawatts (MW) and the United Kingdom with 760 MW.

Across Europe, 6.8 GW of wind capacity was added, including 5.3 GW in the 27 European Union member states.

WindEurope had previously forecast 22.5 GW of new wind capacity for the year but has now cut its estimate to 19 GW. The group cited slow electrification, grid bottlenecks, persistent permitting issues and limited port and ship availability as constraints.

Looking ahead, WindEurope expects the EU to reach 344 GW of installed wind capacity by 2030. Renewable energy is expected to account for 42.5% of total EU energy consumption by that year. To meet this target, wind capacity would need to rise to 425 GW, the group said.

Project pipelines are generally full, WindEurope said. The group added that it expects strong growth to continue beyond 2030.

WindEurope group called on governments to prioritize industrial electrification, grid expansion and modernization, investment in port infrastructure and full implementation of the EU's new permitting rules.