FULL PAGE MAP - North Sea Short Analysis report

This report by Ember analyzes the North Sea's position as the world's largest offshore wind basin, detailing its current capacity, recent installation records, and the strategic necessity of international collaboration to overcome supply chain challenges and enhance European energy security.

• The North Sea is the global leader in offshore wind capacity, with 101 operational wind farms totaling 30 GW. This capacity exceeds that of the East or South China seas. The six countries with operational capacity in the basin, listed in order of total capacity, are the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and Norway.
• Recent installation growth in the North Sea has accelerated, with approximately 1.6 GW added in 2025 from three sites: Moray West and Neart Na Goithe in the UK, and Goode in Germany. This represents more than double the capacity installed in 2024. Additionally, 7 GW is currently under construction, including Dogger Bank (phases A, B, and C), which is projected to be the world's largest site at 3.6 GW upon completion.
• The UK has significantly expanded its North Sea pipeline; on January 14, 2025, 8.4 GW of new projects were awarded Contracts-for-Difference (CfD) subsidies, with 7.5 GW of that total located in the North Sea across five wind farms. This brings the UK's total installed, under construction, or contracted capacity in the North Sea to 32 GW.
• European offshore wind faces supply chain pressures from inflation and inconsistent deployment. The report suggests that standardizing component sizes and orders across the European supply chain could reduce costs. While the UK's two-way auction approach has been adopted by Denmark, Ireland, Poland, France, and Belgium, the report notes that regulatory frameworks for hybrid assets remain fragmented and energy planning is too focused on national rather than regional levels.
• Offshore wind is used to stabilize electricity prices via CfDs, which fix prices for 15-20 years. Auction prices fell from €150-250 in the early 2010s to a minimum of €60 per MWh by 2020, before stabilizing at €80-95 per MWh recently due to inflation. Eight farms commissioned since 2023 have an average strike price of €75 per MWh, which is competitive compared to the 2025 average day-ahead power price in Europe of €85 per MWh.

APA

Ember (n.d.). FULL PAGE MAP - North Sea Short Analysis report. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/01/North-Sea-Short-Analysis-report-1.pdf

Chicago

Ember. FULL PAGE MAP - North Sea Short Analysis report. n.d. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/01/North-Sea-Short-Analysis-report-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=FULL PAGE MAP - North Sea Short Analysis report |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/01/North-Sea-Short-Analysis-report-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{emberndfull, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{FULL PAGE MAP - North Sea Short Analysis report}}, institution = {Ember}, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/01/North-Sea-Short-Analysis-report-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }