A Detailed Map of Offshore Wind Farms in the UK

When it comes to renewable energy, no country in Europe has embraced offshore wind quite like the UK. While China is leading the charge globally with 138 operational offshore wind farms, the UK is next in line with 43.

As offshore wind continues to grow, it’s clear this sector isn’t just an environmental asset, but an economic engine. Offshore wind now powers millions of homes, supports thousands of jobs and anchors the UK’s strategy to reach net zero by 2050.

The UK currently has around 15 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity installed. But it also has more than 10 GW under construction and a government target to hit 50 GW by 2030. That makes offshore wind the largest single source of renewable electricity in the country, and one of the fastest-growing industries in the economy.

But what does that look like geographically? The UK’s offshore wind farms are clustered in distinct regions, each with its own story, resources and future plans.

In this detailed map of offshore wind farms in the UK, I’ll explore exactly where you’ll find these powerful structures around the country.

The North Sea: The World’s Offshore Powerhouse

The North Sea is a vast expanse off the Yorkshire and Humber coast, and is home to the world’s largest concentration of offshore wind projects.

The Hornsea zone (led by Ørsted) already includes Hornsea 1 and 2. Together, these provide over 2.5 GW of capacity, with Hornsea 3 set to deliver nearly 3 GW more.

Just north of this, the Dogger Bank development is set to claim the title of world’s largest offshore wind farm. It’s planned to have an impressive capacity of 3.6 GW once fully operational.

Between them, these projects will generate enough electricity to power more than 10 million homes.

This concentration of projects has reshaped the east coast’s economy. Ports like Hull and Grimsby have been reborn as offshore wind hubs, housing blade factories and operations centres, while creating thousands of skilled jobs.

For the UK, the North Sea is more than just an energy resource; it’s a blueprint for how renewables can stimulate coastal regeneration.

Scotland: Home to Strong Winds

Scotland’s long coastline and strong winds give it some of the best renewable resources in Europe.

Projects like Seagreen (now Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm at 1.1 GW) and the Moray East and West developments have already transformed the Moray Firth into a major renewable energy zone.

But Scotland’s true significance lies in its future. The ScotWind leasing round in 2022 opened the door to more than 27 GW of new capacity. And much of this is in deeper waters that’ll require floating wind technology.

Floating platforms anchored to the seabed can unlock sites far offshore, where wind speeds are stronger and steadier. Developers like BP, Shell and ScottishPower have all secured licences, making Scotland the testing ground for what many believe is the future of global offshore wind.

The Irish Sea: An Early Leader With a New Role

The Irish Sea was one of the first parts of the UK to embrace offshore wind.

Projects like Walney Extension, off Cumbria, and Gwynt y Môr, off North Wales, were once record-setters in size and scale. Together, they demonstrated that large offshore projects could be built quickly and integrated successfully into the UK grid.

Today, the Irish Sea continues to play a vital role, but the focus is shifting. Its relatively shallow waters and proximity to industrial demand make it ideal for both expansion and innovation.

Looking further south, the Celtic Sea (stretching between Cornwall, South Wales and Ireland) is earmarked for the UK’s first large-scale floating offshore wind project.

The Crown Estate aims to see at least 4 GW deployed here by 2035, marking a new chapter for coastal communities in Wales and the South West.

East Anglia: A New Offshore Powerhouse

The stretch of coastline from Suffolk up through Norfolk has become one of the most strategically important offshore wind regions in the UK.

Known collectively as the East Anglia projects, these farms sit off the east coast of England and form a crucial part of the pipeline to reach the government’s 2030 targets.

ScottishPower Renewables is leading the development of the East Anglia Hub, a cluster of projects including East Anglia ONE, TWO and THREE.

Together, these will provide over 3.5 GW of capacity, enough to power millions of homes. East Anglia ONE (714 megawatts) is already operational, with the remaining projects in advanced development or under construction.

Opportunities and challenges for landowners in East Anglia

What makes East Anglia particularly significant is not only the size of the offshore farms but also the onshore infrastructure required to bring that power into the grid.

Landowners across Suffolk and Norfolk have already been approached for:

• Cable corridors, which cross farmland and estates to connect the turbines offshore to the inland grid network.

• Substations, which are being built to handle the huge inflow of renewable power (including at Bramford and Friston).

• Grid reinforcements, as the National Grid upgrades capacity to handle the massive new connections from the North Sea.

This has created both opportunities and challenges for landowners. While compensation is offered for easements and construction impacts, some projects have been contentious locally due to land use, visual impact and ecological concerns.

For landowners, the key is to understand both the short-term and long-term implications of hosting offshore wind infrastructure.

As the East Anglia Hub comes online, it will cement the region as one of the UK’s offshore wind powerhouses.

The South Coast: Supplying the Demand Centres

While the North Sea and Scotland dominate in scale, the south of England has its own role to play.

Projects like Rampion, off the Sussex coast, and the Thanet developments in Kent provide renewable power closer to the country’s biggest demand centre around London and the South East.

These wind farms are smaller than their northern counterparts, but strategically important. They reduce transmission bottlenecks by generating power closer to where it is consumed, helping to balance the grid and strengthen security of supply in the south.

Rampion 2, currently in development, could triple capacity off the Sussex coast and further embed offshore wind into the region’s energy mix.

Offshore Wind and the Landowner Economy

When we talk about offshore wind and the economy, it’s easy to think only of jobs in coastal towns or investment in ports. But the reality is that offshore wind also creates direct economic implications for landowners.

Every offshore wind farm needs to connect back into the National Grid. That means substations, cabling routes and grid reinforcement projects onshore.

In practice, this often involves:

• Cable easements across farmland or estates, with landowners compensated for both the initial construction and any long-term restrictions.

• Onshore substations, which require land agreements with landowners, councils or trusts. These can secure significant rental or purchase payments, reflecting the strategic importance of grid access.

• Access and construction rights, where developers may require temporary land use during construction, again providing compensation or short-term income.

For institutional landowners, this can be part of a broader estate strategy.

This might include:

• Positioning land to host strategic infrastructure
• Aligning with environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments
• Generating long-term revenue

For independent landowners, the opportunity may be more specific. They may involve themselves with negotiating compensation for cabling routes. In some instances, they may secure a hybrid project where onshore solar or battery storage complements offshore connections.

So, the economic footprint of offshore wind runs far beyond turbines at sea and reaches directly into rural and coastal land. This process creates opportunities for diversification, compensation, and in some cases, entirely new income streams.

The Future: Floating Offshore and Net Zero

The next decade will expand this map of offshore wind farms in the UK further out to sea.

Floating technology, proven in projects like Hywind Scotland and Kincardine, will allow the UK to access deepwater sites off the Scottish coast and in the Celtic Sea.

By 2030, floating wind is expected to be a commercial reality, scaling up into gigawatt-sized farms.

And this will do more than just help the UK meet its energy targets. As countries from Japan to the US look to build floating wind fleets, the UK’s early experience may become an exportable skill set. With such great success, this could position the country as a world leader in offshore engineering.

Final Takeaway

From the towering turbines of Hornsea and Dogger Bank to the emerging floating platforms of the Celtic Sea, this map of offshore wind farms in the UK is showing how the country’s energy map is being redrawn. These structures power homes, regenerate coastal towns, create jobs and cut carbon.

For landowners, the picture is clear: while the turbines themselves may be offshore, the grid infrastructure that connects them back to shore creates new opportunities and obligations at home.

Whether it’s negotiating easements, hosting substations or aligning estate strategy with renewables, offshore wind has become part of the landowner economy too.

With 15 GW already operational, 50 GW targeted by 2030 and floating offshore on the horizon, offshore wind is more than just part of the energy transition, it’s set to be the backbone of the UK’s renewable future.