The global wind industry is expected to add 170 GW of capacity this year with a potential record 70 GW connected in the fourth quarter alone, according to a Wood Mackenzie report.

According to the firm’s Global wind power market outlook update: Q3 2025 publication, the industry is set to install its second terawatt of capacity by 2030 after reaching the first terawatt in 2023. Global wind additions are seen to exceed 170 GW annually post-2028 and peak at 200 GW in 2034.

The onshore wind forecast for China has been upgraded, driven by data centres and demand for electrification, although the Chinese offshore wind sector faces challenges like sea-use conflicts.

“China’s dominance in the wind industry is becoming more pronounced,” Sasha Bond-Smith, Research Analyst at Wood Mackenzie, said. “While other established markets struggle with policy uncertainty and economic headwinds, we’re witnessing an unequalled concentration of growth in China that’s reshaping the industry landscape.”

According to Wood Mackenzie, the global wind market outside of China and the US shows stability, with the offshore sector constrained by elevated costs and tender failures. It expects that, excluding China, global cumulative wind capacity will reach 1 TW in 2031.

Commenting on the industry’s evolution Karys Prado, Senior Research Analyst at Wood Mackenzie, said: “From the first MW-scale turbine in 1941 to 16 GW in 2000, then 1 TW in 2023, we’re now racing toward 2 TW by 2030. While achieving historic scale, success will depend on how effectively the industry navigates this new geography of growth and adapts to evolving policy landscapes.”

In 2024, the global wind industry installed 117 GW, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).