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Wind Farms in the UK: Number, Types, Locations, and Planned Developments
Wind farms are now the largest source of electricity generation in the UK, contributing over 30% of the power on the national grid.
Supported by substantial government subsidies, the number of wind farms in the UK continues to grow rapidly.
This guide examines the most recent official data (as of July 2025) to provide the following key insights into wind farms in the UK:
- How many wind farms are there in the UK?
- Offshore vs onshore wind farms in the UK
- The ten biggest UK wind farms
- What wind farms are being built in the UK?
- Major wind farm projects in the UK
How many wind farms are there in the UK?
As of July 2025, there are 817 operational wind farms across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, including both onshore and offshore installations. Together, these sites have a total installed capacity of around 29 GW.
Distribution of UK wind farms
The following map shows the locations of the 817 wind farms across the UK.
Source: Renewable Energy Planning Database July 2025
Wind farms are typically constructed in coastal or upland areas where wind resources are strongest.
The data below show the number of operational wind farms across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
| Home nation | Number of wind farms | Installed capacity (MW) |
|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 345 | 12,441 |
| England | 315 | 13,835 |
| Northern Ireland | 82 | 1,195 |
| Wales | 75 | 1,946 |
| Total | 817 | 29,417 |
Scotland hosts the greatest number of wind farms in the UK, and its rural and upland geography makes it particularly well suited to wind farm development.
Offshore vs onshore wind farms in the UK
Here are some key comparative statistics between onshore and offshore wind farms currently operating in the UK.
| Category | Offshore Wind | Onshore Wind |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Farms | 47 | 770 |
| Total Installed Capacity | 14,679 MW | 14,737 MW |
| Average Capacity per Farm | 312 MW | 19.1 MW |
| Largest Farm | Hornsea 2 (1,320 MW) | Viking wind farm (443 MW) |
| Smallest Farm | Levenmouth Demonstration Turbine (7 MW) | Lower Rumster (Scotland), Dundrinne Road (NI) (0.2 MW) |
Offshore wind farms generate more electricity despite having, on average, fewer turbines. This is due to stronger, more consistent wind resources at sea and fewer restrictions on turbine size.
The following factors influence the development of both onshore and offshore wind farms in the UK.
Onshore wind farms
Onshore wind farms are typically built in rural areas with strong wind resources, such as coastal or upland regions. The following are the key factors influencing their development:
- Government policy – Between 2015 and 2020, the Conservative Government amended planning policy, making onshore wind farm development very difficult. New projects are actively encouraged by the current Labour Government.
- Installation complexity – Easier and less expensive to install, as they use conventional land-based equipment.
- Grid connection – Usually, only limited infrastructure upgrades are required to connect to the grid.
- Economics – Lower capital costs and quicker returns on investment, though typically with lower energy yields overall.
Offshore wind farms
Offshore wind farms are constructed several miles from the coast, typically in shallow waters with strong and consistent wind resources.
- Government policy – Offshore wind development continues to be subsidised through the Contracts for Difference scheme and is supported by The Crown Estate, which owns the seabed around the UK.
- Installation complexity – Requires specialised vessels and equipment to transport and install turbines at sea.
- Grid connection – Expensive and time-consuming, as it involves laying undersea high-capacity cables and connecting to the national grid.
- Economics – Involves enormous capital costs and is currently only economically viable when prices are underpinned by government support or subsidies.
The ten biggest UK wind farms
The following table shows the ten largest wind farms in the UK, ranked by generation capacity.
| Wind Farm Name | Type | Location | Operator | Commissioned | Capacity (MW) | Number of Turbines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hornsea (1 & 2) | Offshore | North Sea, off the coast of East Yorkshire | Ørsted | 2019 & 2022 | 2,538 | 339 |
| Seagreen | Offshore | North Sea, off the coast of Angus, Scotland | SSE | 2023 | 1,075 | 114 |
| Walney (1 & 2) | Offshore | Irish Sea, off the coast of Cumbria | Ørsted | 2010 & 2018 | 1,026 | 212 |
| Moray East | Offshore | Moray Firth, north-east Scotland | Diamond Green | 2022 | 950 | 100 |
| Triton Knoll | Offshore | North Sea, off the coast of Lincolnshire | Innogy | 2022 | 857 | 90 |
| East Anglia One | Offshore | North Sea, off the coast of Suffolk | Scottish Power | 2020 | 714 | 102 |
| London Array | Offshore | Thames Estuary, off the north Kent coast | Siemans | 2013 | 630 | 175 |
| Beatrice | Offshore | Moray Firth, north-east Scotland | SSE | 2019 | 588 | 84 |
| Gwynt y Môr | Offshore | Irish Sea, off the north coast of Wales | RWE | 2015 | 576 | 160 |
| Race Bank | Offshore | North Sea, off the coast of Norfolk | Ørsted | 2018 | 573 | 91 |
All ten of the largest wind farms are offshore, reflecting the fact that large-scale projects are easier to develop at sea, where space is less constrained and local opposition is lower.
How many wind turbines are in the UK?
As of July 2025, there are 9,976 operational wind turbines across the UK, spread over 817 wind farms.
Below are the latest statistics showing how those turbines are distributed between offshore and onshore sites:
| Category | Offshore Wind | Onshore Wind |
|---|---|---|
| Total wind turbines | 2,791 | 7,185 |
| Average turbines per farm | 59 | 9 |
| Most turbines in farm | 175 - London Array Phase 1 | 152 - Clyde Wind Farm, Strathclyde |
| Highest turbine | 222 meters - Walney, Irish Sea | 200 meters - Strathaven, Scotland |
What wind farms are being built in the UK?
The UK Government is pursuing its Clean Power 2030 target, aiming to have over 95% of electricity supplied to the national grid come from low-carbon energy sources.
Expanding the number of wind farms across the UK is a central part of this strategy, with ambitious capacity goals set for 2030:
- Offshore wind: Triple current capacity to 43–50 GW
- Onshore wind: Double current capacity to 27–29 GW
The following statistics highlight the current pipeline of new wind farms as the UK accelerates towards its 2030 clean-energy target.
Number of planned offshore wind farms
According to data from the Renewable Energy Planning Database, a large number of new offshore wind farms are currently progressing through the development pipeline across the UK.
The table below shows the latest figures for projects at different stages of development:
| Development stage | Number of wind farms | Number of turbines | Total capacity (MW) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planning application submitted | 14 | 1,152 | 15,433 |
| Planning permission granted | 24 | 1,564 | 23,543 |
| Under construction | 7 | 916 | 7,742 |
Number of planned onshore wind farms
According to data from the Renewable Energy Planning Database, hundreds of new onshore wind farms are currently progressing through the development pipeline across the UK.
The table below summarises the latest figures for projects at different stages of development:
| Development stage | Number of wind farms | Number of turbines | Total capacity (MW) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planning application submitted | 284 | 1,894 | 10,315 |
| Planning permission granted | 271 | 1,424 | 5,864 |
| Under construction | 37 | 429 | 1,779 |
UK wind farm ownership
The UK’s 817 operational wind farms are owned and operated by a broad mix of organisations, from small private developers and community cooperatives to large multinational energy companies.
Wind farm projects are frequently part-owned by various organisations and investors. The Planning Database does not provide information on the ownership of wind farms, but does show which firm operates each farm.
The table below lists the top 16 UK wind-farm operators by installed capacity:
| Rank | Company | Installed Capacity | Number of Turbines | Number of Farms (% Offshore / % Onshore) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ørsted | 5359 MW | 922 | 15 (100% / 0%) |
| 2 | SSE | 3515 MW | 993 | 41 (5% / 95%) |
| 3 | Scottish Power | 2823 MW | 1083 | 29 (7% / 93%) |
| 4 | RWE | 1707 MW | 678 | 26 (10% / 90%) |
| 5 | E.ON | 1072 MW | 394 | 16 (35% / 65%) |
| 6 | Innogy | 1129 MW | 221 | 6 (16% / 84%) |
| 7 | Vattenfall | 1047 MW | 314 | 9 (100% / 0%) |
| 8 | Greencoat | 1,008 MW | 453 | 26 (4% / 96%) |
| 9 | Diamond Green Limited, CTG & Ocean Winds | 950 MW | 100 | 1 (100% / 0%) |
| 10 | EDF | 747 MW | 275 | 21 (10% / 90%) |
| 11 | Fred Olsen | 508 MW | 236 | 9 (0% / 100%) |
| 12 | Airtricity | 600 MW | 186 | 5 (20% / 80%) |
| 13 | Siemens Gamesa | 630 MW | 175 | 1 (100% / 0%) |
| 14 | Statoil | 432 MW | 72 | 2 (100% / 0%) |
| 15 | Equinor | 317 MW | 88 | 1 (100% / 0%) |
| 16 | Octopus | 226 MW | 72 | 7 (0% / 100%) |
These leading owners broadly fall into two main categories:
- Specialist European renewable energy firms — Companies focused primarily on renewable technologies, such as Ørsted (Denmark), Vattenfall (Sweden), and Siemens Energy (Germany).
- Licensed UK energy suppliers — Major utilities that generate their own renewable power to supply customers through green tariffs, including SSE, Scottish Power, and E.ON.
Major wind farm projects in the UK
In this section, we explain the four largest wind farm projects that are planned or currently under construction in the UK.
Berwick Bank wind farm
Status: Planning permission granted; awaiting Jan-26 CfD auction results.
The planned Berwick Bank wind farm aims to become the world’s largest offshore wind farm, with a capacity of 4.1 GW generated from an array of 307 wind turbines.
Berwick Bank is being developed by SSE, which has planning permission to build the array in the outer Firth of Forth, off the East Lothian coast.
The commencement of construction depends on SSE securing a contract under the Contracts for Difference scheme.
Ossian floating wind farm
Status: Progressing through the planning process.
In deeper waters to the east of the Berwick Bank wind farm, another major project is planned, this one using floating wind turbine technology.
The Ossian Offshore Wind Farm is planned for an 858-square-kilometre area of seabed, located 84 km off the east coast of Scotland.
The planned development will have a capacity of 3.6 GW, enough to power six million homes each year.
Dogger Bank wind farms
Dogger Bank is a vast submerged sandbank in the North Sea that provides an ideal location for large-scale offshore wind farms.
There are currently four major projects in development on Dogger Bank:
- Dogger Bank A–C (3.6 GW) – Under construction
- Sofia (1.4 GW) – Under construction
- Dogger Bank South (3 GW) – In planning
- Dogger Bank D (2 GW) – In planning
Together, the planned wind farms have a combined capacity of 10 GW and could meet around 17% of the UK’s annual electricity demand. Find out more about these developments in our guide to the Dogger Bank wind farms.
Hornsea wind farms
Status: Two farms operational, one under construction, one cancelled.
The Hornsea 1 and 2 wind farms became operational in 2020 and 2022, respectively. Each project held the title of the world’s largest offshore wind farm when completed, and together they remain the largest in the UK.
The developer Ørsted is currently constructing a further 231 turbines (Hornsea 3) on the same site, which is expected to become operational in 2027.
Ørsted had also planned to build a fourth wind farm on the site (Hornsea 4) and was awarded a Contracts for Difference guaranteed price in September 2024. However, in May 2025, Ørsted announced the cancellation of the Hornsea 4 project due to rising supply chain costs.
UK wind farm FAQs
Our energy experts answer some of the most frequently asked questions about UK wind farms.
How do wind farms work in the UK?
A wind farm is essentially a wind power station.
All wind farms, whether onshore or offshore, generate electricity and distribute it to the national grid as follows:
- Wind capture: Wind blowing against the turbine blades causes them to rotate. A remote system monitors and adjusts the turbines to ensure they always face the optimal wind direction.
- Energy conversion: Rotating blades turn an internal shaft, which drives a generator to produce electricity.
- Distribution: The power produced is fed into the grid through a connection to either a local distribution network for small wind farms or the high-voltage transmission network for large-scale wind farms.
- Payment: Wind farm operators are paid for each kWh they feed into the grid, through purchases by domestic and business energy suppliers on the wholesale electricity market.
How does wind power affect electricity prices?
There are three main ways in which wind farms influence both domestic and business electricity tariffs:
- Lowering wholesale prices: Wind farms, which have low operational costs, can reduce wholesale electricity prices by displacing generation that relies on imported fossil fuels.
- Subsidies and levies: UK wind energy is supported by the Contracts for Difference and Renewables Obligation schemes, which provide stable income for developers but increase electricity costs for consumers.
- Green tariffs: Wind farms support green business energy tariffs, allowing consumers to choose renewable energy options, often at a premium. You can find a green electricity tariff for your company using our business electricity comparison service.
How is the national grid adapting to increasing wind power?
Unlike gas power stations, wind power is intermittent; the amount it generates depends on wind conditions, meaning it does not always meet demand during peak hours. As a result, the grid is making the following adaptations to support the increasing contribution of wind farms:
- Grid upgrades and expansion – The high-voltage transmission network is being upgraded and expanded through the Great Grid Upgrade to handle the growing power output from Scottish wind farms.
- Flexible power sources – The number of flexible power sources, such as pumped-hydro stations and grid-scale batteries, is being increased to provide back-up electricity on still days when UK wind farms do not generate enough power.
- Demand-side response – The grid operator is offering financial incentives for consumers to reduce usage during periods of peak grid stress. The Demand Flexibility Service is the programme available to small businesses and households.
- Increased baseload capacity – Two new nuclear power stations, Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C, are under construction to provide zero-carbon baseload electricity to the grid and help balance intermittent wind generation.
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