Ankara [Turkey], March 2: Türkiye ranked as Europe's second-biggest market for new wind power installations last year as it brought more than 2,000 megawatts (MW) of additional capacity online, according to data released Thursday by WindEurope.
A total of 19.1 gigawatts (GW) of new wind power capacity was installed across Europe last year, according to a report by WindEurope. Onshore wind farms accounted for 90% of the total 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 U.K. 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 euros ($53.1 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.
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.
WindEurope CEO Tinne Van der Straeten described Türkiye's last year additions as a "remarkable performance" that she says underscores the country's accelerating growth in the renewable energy sector.
"Türkiye delivered a remarkable performance by commissioning over 2.1 GW of new capacity," Van der Straeten told AA.
Source: Qatar Tribune