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After 25 years, UK offshore wind has overtaken gas to become the main source of electricity
17/12/2025
News
Since the first offshore wind farm was commissioned in December 2000 in Blyth Harbour, off the coast of Northumberland, UK offshore wind has overtaken the amount of electricity generated from domestically produced gas – generating around 10% more power since 2024, according to analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU). As a result, it has reduced UK spending on imported fuels by at least £30bn to date.
RenewableUK notes that in a single generation, offshore wind has become the UK’s biggest source of clean power, providing 34% of all renewable electricity in 2024. Last year, it produced a record 17% of the UK’s electricity overall (48.5 TWh), generating the equivalent of five large nuclear power stations.
The pioneering 4 MW Blyth wind farm consisted of two turbines installed in 8 metres deep water and generated enough power for 3,000 homes. It was built nine years after the world’s first, the 5 MW, 11-turbine Vindeby Offshore Wind Farm offshore Denmark, which operated until 2017.
Today the UK has about 2,878 offshore wind turbines (including 10 floating) with a total generating capacity of 16.1 GW – enough to power over 16mn homes a year.
Looking ahead, over 7.5 GW of offshore wind is currently under construction and due to become operational in the next two years, as well as a further 22 GW which gained consent from the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) through to 2033.
The new norm
The ECIU claims that reliance on offshore wind ‘will become the new norm’ with the gap growing as North Sea gas production continues to decline, irrespective of any new drilling, as more offshore wind farms come online.
According to Jess Ralston, Head of Energy at the ECIU: ‘We’re seeing a symbolic shift in power in the North Sea as gas continues its decades-long decline while offshore wind takes top spot as the main source of British electricity for homes and businesses across the UK.’
Since late 2000, the cumulative electricity generation from offshore wind in the North Sea totalled over 400 TWh as of mid-2025, which otherwise would likely have been provided by a mix of gas and coal. Given the ongoing decline of UK gas and halt of coal production, this extra consumption would have pushed up imports by 10% and 4% respectively during this period, according to the ECIU.
UK offshore wind farms currently produce about 50 TWh/y of electricity – 17% of total UK generation. This compares favourably with UK nuclear power plants, which reached the same level of output 27 years since the first station came online at Calder Hall in 1956.
DESNZ projections suggest that without new licences, UK gas production in 2030 would be almost 60% lower than in 2024, and 52% lower with new licences.
Reflecting on the milestone, Michael Shanks, Minister for Energy in DESNZ, said: ‘25 years after the first offshore wind turbines began to turn, Britain is once again leading the world in homegrown power. Offshore wind is at the heart of our 2030 clean power mission – helping us reduce on volatile fossil fuel markets and aiming to support 100,000 jobs by 2030.’
The wind energy supply chain currently features about 2,000 companies and supporting 40,000 jobs, which are predicted to grow to about 94,000 by 2030, according to RenewableUK.
RenewableUK’s Deputy CEO Jane Cooper commented: ‘We have ambitious offshore wind targets to deliver by 2030, beginning with next month’s clean power auction, where a record amount of offshore wind capacity could be brought forward by the government.’
