43-50GW Offshore Wind Capacity by 2030
Commitment: Deploy 43-50 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity by 2030, as part of the Clean Power 2030 target.
Owner: DESNZ
Target date: 2030
Metric: Installed offshore wind capacity (GW) in England and UK waters.
Status: at-risk
Context
Offshore wind is the backbone of the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. The 43-50GW range (up from approximately 15GW in 2024) represents roughly a tripling of capacity in 6 years. This requires:
- Completing projects already under construction
- Consenting and constructing new projects through the reformed NSIP process
- Resolving grid connection queue delays (NESO-led reform)
- Resolving marine environment conflicts (clean-power-marine-environment)
Pipeline status
The offshore wind pipeline includes:
- Projects operational or under construction
- Projects with planning permission awaiting grid connection
- Projects in the NSIP consent pipeline
- Projects in early development
The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan identifies 80 critical network and infrastructure projects that must be prioritised.
Key constraints
- Grid connection queue: Projects with consent cannot connect due to backlog — NESO queue reform is the primary solution
- Marine environment: Offshore wind overlaps with MPAs; OWEIP mitigation package in place but tensions remain (clean-power-marine-environment)
- Planning timelines: Even with PIA 2025 reform, new projects starting in 2025 have limited time to complete by 2030 (planning-timelines-2030-targets)
- Supply chain: Offshore wind installation vessel capacity, foundations, cables, and offshore substations are specialist supply chains with long lead times
Delivery history
- [December 2024] Clean Power 2030 Action Plan published; 43-50GW range confirmed
- [December 2025] PIA 2025 Royal Assent; NSIP reform and grid reform enabled
- [2026] NESO grid queue reform (ongoing); SSEP due