2025 has been a mixed year in terms of auctions. Despite several unsuccessful, cancelled or postponed auctions, still a total of 16 GW of offshore wind capacity was awarded globally. While 2026 could continue this trajectory and emerge as another busy year for offshore wind, high levels of uncertainty persist across regions.
Last year ended on a good note, with South America concluding its very first offshore wind auction, as Colombia awarded 0.4 GW to a single bidder. Additionally, in Europe both Ireland and Poland successfully concluded their auctions, awarding over 4 GW of new capacity at the end of 2025. In the Asia-Pacific region, the Philippines kicked off its fifth Green Energy Auction (GEA-5), the first dedicated solely to offshore wind, in late 2025, expected to officially launch in early 2026.
Those auctions that were unsuccessful or postponed during 2025 are now pushing significant momentum into the first half of 2026.
As a result, 2026 could be an active year for offshore wind, particularly in the first half, with several auctions expected, most notably across Europe and Asia-Pacific. In contrast, uncertainty increases in the second half of the year, as additional regulatory clarity and auction details are still required to enable launches.
Among announced processes, established markets such as the UK and Netherlands appear the most certain for the second half of 2026. While new offshore wind markets may launch their first auctions in 2026, the timing remains uncertain.
Aegir Insights’ clients can get a detailed overview of upcoming offshore wind auctions globally as part of Aegir’s Auction Intelligence offerings.
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Please note: The visual showing the offshore wind auction outlook above is showing global offshore wind auctions planned to be launched during 2026. Auctions launched in 2025 and concluding during 2026 are not included in this overview.
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