Türkiye became the second-largest country in Europe for new wind power installations last year, adding 2,142 megawatts (MW) of new capacity, ranking just behind Germany, according to WindEurope data on Thursday.
According to the report titled "Wind Energy in Europe: 2025 Statistics and 2026–2030 Outlook" a total of 19.1 gigawatts (GW) of new wind power capacity was installed across Europe last year.
Onshore wind farms accounted for 90% of these installations. The 17.2 GW of onshore wind capacity installed in a single year marked a new record.
The report stated that Europe's total installed wind power capacity reached 304 GW by the end of 2025. Of this, 265 GW came from onshore wind farms, while 39 GW was generated by offshore wind farms.
Germany recorded the highest level of new wind installations last year. The country installed a total of 5,735 MW, including 5,232 MW of onshore and 503 MW of offshore capacity.
Germany was followed by Türkiye with 2,142 MW, Sweden with 1,767 MW, Spain with 1,563 MW, France with 1,414 MW, and the UK with 1,250 MW.
Meanwhile, Denmark stood out as the country with the highest share of wind energy in electricity generation, at 50%. Lithuania and Ireland followed, each with a 33% share.
Wind energy investments across Europe continued at full speed. A total of €45 billion was invested in new wind energy projects last year, and these investments are expected to finance 21 GW of new capacity in the coming years.
- Permitting processes, infrastructure remain key challenges
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.
By Gulsen Cagatay
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr