The Rise Of Floating Offshore Wind: Benefits, Technology, And Growth

As the wind sector expands, the industry continues to improve its capacity to adapt to regional conditions through new innovative solutions and developing technology.

More recently, we are seeing the growth of floating offshore wind solutions, with global leaders taking action to develop the offshore technology through significant investments and pilot projects. As of 2025, floating offshore wind farms are still an emerging but rapidly growing sector, aiming to deliver more dependable and efficient options for large-scale power production.

What is the difference between floating offshore wind technology and fixed-bottom wind turbines?
Fixed-bottom offshore wind farms require certain conditions and are typically built near the coasts in shallow continental shelves so that the foundations can be fixed to the bottom of the sea-floor. Examples of these prime locations include the North Sea and Baltic Sea, home to some of the largest offshore wind farms in the world.

Alternatively, floating wind turbines are installed onto tension leg platforms and can float on the surface of the water. The platforms use deep-water anchoring technology adapted from oil and gas operations, and can allow for turbines to be installed at much greater depths.

The ability to install wind turbines further ashore provides a greater scope for potential wind farm locations and offers alternative solutions for coastlines with particularly steep continental shelves such as the offshore regions of Japan. In turn, these wind farms provide the ability to capture more wind, generate more energy, and increase AEP (annual energy production).

Why are there not more floating offshore wind farms?
Despite its potential, floating offshore wind is still relatively new technology, with few manufacturers currently set up to mass-produce the floating platforms at this time. Due to this, the costs are generally considered higher than fixed-bottom wind turbines, which in contrast, benefit from more established and mature supply chains.

Additionally, many ports lack the space, cranes, or depth needed to assemble and launch large floating turbines. Despite this, there is a clear drive to combat these challenges, as governments worldwide begin to invest in upgrading local ports to support the development of floating offshore wind.

Supporting the growth of floating offshore wind
In recent news, the Scottish government is planning to invest £24.26M (around €28.81M) in an upgrade at Kishorn Port, one of Europe’s largest dry docks, which will enable the manufacture of floating wind foundations at the Scottish port. The investment is part of £500M (around €594M) that Scotland is investing over five years to develop the country’s ports and offshore wind supply chain.

With only a dozen floating wind farms globally, France has also been making waves in the offshore wind industry, with the announcement of a newly commissioned 25 MW floating offshore wind farm. With its 25 MW capacity, the wind farm is expected to supply enough electricity for 45,000 people each year.

The floating wind farm is the first of its kind to be established in France, with the installation of the last turbine being completed in October 2023. The wind farm is a pilot project, installed 17 kilometres off the coast of Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, with the project delivering its first power to the national electricity grid in 2024.

The future of floating offshore technology
Despite the current barriers, floating wind farms are set to scale up as we see ongoing development around the technology. Ongoing pilot projects and early commercial projects are providing insight into the capacity and reliability of floating offshore wind on a global scale, encouraging greater investment and highlighting the potential for the future of offshore wind and renewable energy.

At GEV Wind Power we are proud to be playing an active role in supporting the growth of the offshore wind sector. In 2024, GEV successfully completed scheduled maintenance on a major European floating offshore wind farm, where the maintenance work was undertaken shoreside. GEV provided support for all required maintenance on the wind turbine rotor blades.

By leveraging GEV’s operational scale and rotor blade knowledge, the completion of the project demonstrated the practicality of the assets being brought to shore with maintenance taking place in a controlled quayside location.

For more information, visit https://www.gevwindpower.com/wind-turbine-services/