EnergyClimateTech

Can Offshore Wind Bounce Back After Stormy 2025? With Alex Fløtre and Venterra CEO Ed Daniels

Rystad Energy
Rystad Energy•Mar 25, 2026

Why It Matters

Without stable policy and cost‑saving standardization, offshore wind risks lagging behind climate targets, while a more efficient supply chain could secure its role as a cornerstone of the global energy transition.

Key Takeaways

  • •2025 offshore wind outlook cut by ~60 GW to 180‑190 GW.
  • •US policy uncertainty stalls new offshore wind projects until 2029.
  • •Ventara pivots to adjacencies like decommissioning and onshore construction.
  • •Standardizing 15‑17 MW turbines could shave 15% off costs.
  • •China shifts from subsidies to merchant market, creating spare supply capacity.

Summary

The episode of “Let’s Talk Energy” examined whether offshore wind can recover after a turbulent 2025, featuring Ventara CEO Ed Daniels and Ryestad Energy’s offshore‑wind analyst Alexander Fløtre.

Both guests noted that the global pipeline was slashed by roughly 60 GW, leaving a 2030 outlook of 180‑190 GW. In the United States, the Trump administration’s project shutdowns and delayed auctions pushed the sector into a near‑standstill, while Europe grappled with cost‑inflated auctions and China moved from subsidy‑driven growth to a merchant market, tempering its own outlook.

Daniels described Ventara’s end‑to‑end value chain—survey, engineering, equipment, and construction—and how the firm is now leveraging adjacencies such as Gulf‑of‑Mexico de‑commissioning and on‑shore infrastructure. Fløtre highlighted a modest rise in final‑investment decisions in 2025, a gradual easing of interest rates, and the industry’s push toward standardizing 15‑17 MW turbines, which could trim 15 % of cross‑hand‑off costs.

The discussion underscores that a revival of offshore wind hinges on policy certainty, cost‑effective standardization, and a competitive supply chain that can counter China’s expanding capabilities. Investors and developers will need clearer regulatory signals and more efficient project execution to unlock the remaining growth potential.

Original Description

Let’s Talk Energy and explore how the offshore wind industry might start to bounce back from a rough patch in 2025. In the US, the administration shut down projects and canceled plans for future auctions. Meanwhile, elsewhere around the globe, the industry saw bid rounds close with no bids, and developers began to rationalize a long queue of projects, some of which were no longer competitive as they struggled with rising supply chain costs.
While these headwinds have diminished the outlook for new offshore wind capacity in the years ahead, there is still a massive amount of growth on the horizon and signs that 2025’s hiccups are beginning to be resolved. At the same time, the offshore wind supply chain is a growing battleground for industrial competition, as it is one clean energy industry not yet dominated by Chinese companies – though they are advancing quickly.
+ How much could offshore wind contribute to the future energy mix and what factors might influence that outlook?
+ How have regulators, developers and suppliers successfully resolved some of the pinch points that are holding back capacity? Where could we see further improvements?
+ How will governments – particularly those in Europe – balance the need to lower development costs with the protection of their domestic offshore wind industry?
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Further Analysis :
- Five things to watch in the global power sector in 2026 (accessible to non-clients): https://www.rystadenergy.com/insights/five-things-to-watch-in-the-global-power-sector-in-2026
- Rystad’s Take: In conversation with our CEO, February (accessible to non-clients): https://www.rystadenergy.com/insights/rystad-s-take-in-conversation-with-our-ceo-february
- Wind ‘theft’ disputes on the rise as developers jockey for space offshore (clients only) : https://portal.rystadenergy.com/article-detail/625717?qid=c60794eb8a6dc625f12e714147538200&oid=doc_625717
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Related Episodes
- The North Sea is the key to European energy security, with Simon Sjøthun https://www.rystadenergy.com/podcasts/the-north-sea-is-the-key-to-european-energy-security-with-simon-sjothun
- European power markets at a turning point, with Iben Frimann-Dahl and Francesca Bjørnflaten https://www.rystadenergy.com/podcasts/european-power-markets-at-a-turning-point-with-iben-frimann-dahl-and-francesca-bj
- Winners and losers in Trump’s energy agenda, with Mike McCormick https://www.rystadenergy.com/podcasts/winners-and-losers-in-trump-s-energy-agenda-with-mike-mccormick
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🎙️Let’s Talk Energy is a Rystad Energy Production.
Produced by: Laura Rodriguez Skaug & Både Og.
Executive producers: Noah Brenner, Elliot Busby, Evodie Fleury-Greaker & Erik Means.
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