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Saudi Arabia was the standout wind power story in the Africa and Middle East region in 2025, with new capacity additions nearly quadrupling year on year, according to a new report by Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).
GWEC’s ‘Global Wind Energy Report 2026’ said Saudi Arabia’s annual onshore wind additions surged 287.7 percent year on year to 1,512 MW in 2025 from 390 MW in 2024, an increase of 1,122 MW.
With new installations nearly 3.9 times the prior year level, the Kingdom accounted for 57.8 percent of all Africa and Middle East onshore additions in 2025.
South Africa ranked second with 590 MW in new capacity added. Third ranked Morocco added 261 MW of new capacity in 2025, a year-on-year decline of 49.81 percent.
Record regional year
The Africa and Middle East region recorded its strongest year for wind energy additions in 2025, with new capacity rising 32 percent year-on-year to 2.6 GW. Cumulative installed wind capacity in the region increased to 15.2 GW in 2025, representing 20.73 percent growth year-on-year, although it remained the world’s smallest market by total installed wind capacity.
South Africa remains the leader
Saudi Arabia also recorded the strongest year-on-year growth in total installed wind capacity. Its cumulative installed base rose by more than 186 percent to 2,324 MW in 2025 from 812 MW in 2024.
However, South Africa retained its position as the largest wind market in Africa and the Middle East region, with total installed base rising 14.4 percent to 4,037 MW in 2025 from 3,528 MW in 2024.
The GWEC report said nearly 3 GW of onshore wind projects awarded through the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) or signed under private offtake agreements are under construction. A further 17 GW is at an advanced development stage, supporting expectations of continued market growth through 2030.
Egypt slows after 2024 growth
Egypt stayed in second place with its installed base growing 8.5 percent year-on-year to 3,097 MW in 2025 compared to 2,855 MW in 2024. However, the country added only 242 MW of new wind capacity in 2025, down 69 percent from 794 MW in 2024. It placed fourth in new additions compared to 2024 when it ranked first.
As of the first quarter of 2026, Egypt had 1.3 GW of onshore wind under construction, and nearly 10 GW in the development pipeline. In response to the Middle East crisis, Egypt signed PPAs for 5,620 MW of renewable energy and storage, including a 900 MW wind project.
Morocco ranked fourth with its total installed capacity growing by 11 percent year-on-year to reach 2,629 MW in 2025 compared to 2,368MW in 2024.
35 GW forecast by 2030
GWEC has forecasted total new wind capacity additions across Africa and the Middle East at 35 GW during 2026–2030. Of this 47 percent is expected to come from Africa and 53 percent from the Middle East.
If all projects currently under construction, the 5.3 GW already awarded through auctions, and announced manufacturing investments in Saudi Arabia and Oman all materialise, the Middle East could add more than 18 GW of onshore wind capacity between 2026 and 2030, according to GWEC.
There are no offshore wind power projects, either installed or in the development pipeline, in the Africa and Middle East region.
(Writing by Anoop Menon; Editing by SA Kader)
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