European Nations Push Huge Offshore Wind Expansion

Nine northwestern European countries are moving to accelerate the build-out of their offshore wind power capacity, signaling a firm commitment to renewable energy just days after former U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized wind power as a "money-losing" venture.

At the North Sea Summit in Hamburg, Germany, the group will formally pledge to speed up development through large-scale, cross-border projects.

Nine Nations Target 300 GW Offshore Wind Capacity

According to a draft of the summit declaration, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway have set ambitious clean energy targets. The coalition aims to install a combined 300 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity by the year 2050.

A key part of this strategy involves dedicating 100 GW of that total capacity to collaborative cross-border wind projects, designed to enhance energy security and integration across the region.

A Clash of Energy Visions: Trump's "Windmill" Critique

This European initiative stands in stark contrast to recent remarks from Donald Trump. Speaking in Davos, Trump claimed his election victory prevented an "energy collapse" in the United States and described Europe's green policies as the "Green New Scam."

"There are windmills all over Europe," Trump stated. "One thing I've noticed is that the more windmills a country has, the more money that country loses, and the worst that country is doing."

Mixed Fortunes: UK Success vs. German Setbacks

Despite this criticism, key European nations are pushing forward, though with varying degrees of success.

UK Forges Ahead with Record Auction

The United Kingdom recently concluded its latest auction round (Contracts for Difference AR7) by awarding a record-breaking 8.4 GW of offshore wind capacity. The UK government noted that this capacity is sufficient to generate clean electricity for the equivalent of 12 million homes, keeping the country "firmly on track to achieve its clean power mission by 2030."

Germany Struggles to Revive Wind Auctions

Germany, however, faces a more challenging path. After a recent auction last year failed to attract a single bid, the country is recalibrating its strategy. The German Parliament has passed legislation to scale back its 2026 tender, narrowing the offered capacity to a range of 2.5 GW to 5 GW. This is a significant reduction from an earlier plan to auction 6 GW and from the 10 GW offered in the unsuccessful August auction.