This is an extract from a recent report “Global Wind Report 2026” published by Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). This extract specifically focuses on a few countries within the Middle East & Africa region.
Egypt
Following reforms that have improved economic stability, Egypt’s renewable energy programme is also moving forward at pace. The government aims for renewables to make up more than 42% of the electricity mix by 2030 and has plans to raise this target to 60% by 2040, showing a long-term commitment to diversifying the energy mix. Wind and solar projects continue to progress through competitive tenders and private sector investment, alongside ongoing grid upgrades and expansion to integrate new capacity. While private sector investment is encouraged in energy generation, investment in the state-owned grids still depends largely on public finance. The government is considering new financing models to meet rising demand for an upgraded transmission system.
Wind tender: 1 GW new competitive procurement
In early 2026, Egypt announced a new competitive tender for 1 GW of onshore wind capacity in the West Sohag area, following a hiatus of more than seven years. This tender represents a strategic pivot away from the policies that led to previous direct agreement projects, which were previously prioritised with the aim of accelerating project development timelines. The 1GW West Sohag tender will replace the large-scale MoUs signed at COP27, previously targeting around 27 GW of wind, which have been scaled back or cancelled by the government. According to the Request for Qualifications (RfQ), the project will be procured under an IPP framework and implemented under a BOO scheme.
Project commissioning of more than 1 GW
During the second half of 2025, Egypt commissioned 1.15 GW of onshore wind at two projects: the 650 MW Rea Sea – developed by a consortium including Orascom, ENGIE and Toyota Tsusho, and the 500 MW Amunet by Emirati developer AMEA Power. Egypt has 1.3 GW of wind energy under construction: 1.1 GW by ACWA Power and 200 MW by Infinity Power, while nearly 10 GW is in the development phase. Some of the wind projects in late-stage development are:
-500 MW NIAT: Originally awarded to Siemens Gamesa (SGRE) and later acquired by Alcazar Energy Partners, which is to take full ownership and assume overall responsibility for its development and operations. SGRE will remain involved as a strategic partner and supply turbine technology and associated services under the partnership arrangement.
-900 MW Shadwan: Scatec signed a 25-year PPA with EETC for the development of the Shadwan wind farm in the Ras Shukeir region. Wind measurement campaigns will continue during the first half of 2026, before the project move to financial close and COD.
-2 GW Hurghada: In addition to its 1.1 GW wind project under construction, ACWA Power has signed a 25-year PPA for Hurghada, which is expected to reach financial close in 2026. Once completed, it will be the largest standalone wind project in the country.
Looking ahead
Recent developments indicate renewed momentum in Egypt’s wind market. With new capacity coming online, competitive tenders restarting and an ambitious pipeline under development, Egypt’s wind sector is moving back to growth. Provided grid expansion continues alongside generation, the country has a solid foundation to scale up wind deployment over the next decade – strengthening energy security, attracting long-term investment and steadily advancing its renewable energy ambitions.
Kenya
Wind power driving the clean energy transition Kenya continued to strengthen its position as one of Africa’s most renewables-heavy power systems in 2025, with renewables comprising more than 80% of the power mix. While geothermal and hydropower are the leading electricity sources, wind energy is increasingly playing an important role in diversifying supply and improving energy security. Kenya’s total installed capacity for wind is 435.5 MW, making wind the country’s second largest variable renewable source after hydropower. Wind capacity is anchored by three operational projects: Lake Turkana Wind Power (310 MW), Kipeto Wind Power Station (~100 MW) and Ngong Hills Wind Farm (~25.5 MW). In 2025, wind generation increased by around 13% in the first half of the year, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, driven largely by strong performance at Lake Turkana. Rising output highlights the value of wind energy’s high capacity factors and its contribution to stabilising the renewables-dominated grid.
Upgrades to transmission infrastructure
Kenya achieved a major milestone in 2025 with the signing of Africa’s first privately financed power transmission project, valued at KES 40.4 billion (USD 311 million), structured as a public-private partnership between Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO), Africa50 Group and Power Grid Corporation of India Limited. The project, supported by the African Development Bank, FMO and Trade and Development Bank Group, will deliver the design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of two major transmission lines and establish a commercially viable model for private investment in grid infrastructure. By strengthening the national transmission network, the initiative will enhance energy security, lower electricity costs and accelerate Kenya’s green industrialisation agenda under the Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative (AGII), positioning the country as a continental leader in the clean energy transition.
Open access policy as an opportunity and challenge
Kenya is reforming its electricity market from a single-offtaker model to a competitive wholesale market model. The Open Access Regulations are under formulation to facilitate the transition to a competitive wholesale electricity market that will allow open access to transmission and distribution networks, starting with the introduction of a day-ahead market. The electricity market will be segmented into a wholesale market and retail market – for both capacity and energy. These reforms are expected to enhance market efficiency and attract greater private sector participation. They will also provide a foundation for integrating more renewable energy, supporting Kenya’s clean energy ambitions.
The Open Access Regulations, formally the Energy (Electricity Markets, Bulk Supply and Open Access) Regulations 2024, are expected to significantly transform Kenya’s electricity market once enacted. They will create new opportunities for wind energy by enabling wheeling of power across the grid, allowing generators to supply power directly to consumers. This will open the captive supply segment and potential export markets, which are currently constrained. At present, wind deployment is largely limited by the grid operator’s ability to absorb power. Drawing parallels from South Africa, where the removal of captive generation limits initiated substantial wind development, Kenya could see similar growth. However, a key challenge is represented by the fact that the country’s strongest wind resource areas are located far from major demand centres. It will be critical to prioritise and strengthen the capacity of the transmission system to fully unlock the wind growth potential of open access.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s wind energy journey is marked by flagship installations and growing project pipelines under its renewable energy agenda. Under Saudi Vision 2030, the kingdom has set a target of 50% renewables by 2030, with a specific target of 16 GW of wind energy capacity. The Kingdom’s first utility-scale wind farm, Dumat al-Jandal, is its only operational wind project, with 400 MW of installed capacity. The pipeline of new wind and renewable projects is expanding rapidly. As part of Saudi Arabia’s National Renewable Energy Program (NREP), significant deals signed in 2025 will see the development of seven utility-scale renewable plants totalling 15 GW of capacity. This includes 3 GW of wind energy at two projects: Starah (2 GW) and Shaqrah (1 GW), both in the Riyadh region, supplied by Goldwind turbines.
These Price Discovery Scheme agreements, led by a consortium of Saudi entities and Acwa, the Public Investment Fund’s (PIF) Water and Electricity Holding Company (Badeel), and Saudi Aramco Power Company (SAPCO), have reached financial close and are expected to come online between 2027 and 2028. It remains to be seen how the 2026 conflict in the Middle East will impact the timelines for these projects. Workforce challenges remain one of the biggest concerns in Saudi’s renewable energy future. Scaling up wind deployment will require accelerated training and workforce development to ensure a pipeline of skilled engineers, technicians and project managers. Building local capabilities will be essential for sustaining the fast pace of deployment and realising Saudi Arabia’s ambitions.
A globally competitive tariff environment
Saudi Arabia benefits from favourable wind conditions and competitive tariffs. Strong wind resources in the northwest and desert plateau regions are suitable for utility-scale development. The Kingdom also has excellent offshore wind resources, although its development is not currently considered in medium-term government planning. Recent procurement rounds have achieved globally competitive pricing for wind energy. In the latest tender rounds, wind capacity is built into mixed renewable auctions, including a 1.5 GW project in the Dwadmi region awarded in 2025 at a world-record low cost of about USD 1.338/kWh. Several large solar plants were awarded alongside this wind project in the same round, for a total capacity of 4.5 GW. The King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center has introduced analytical tools such as the KAPSARC renewables tracker to support this rapid rollout. These online resources are improving transparency around project auctions, capacity pipelines and competitive pricing across Saudi renewable energy markets. According to the tracker, Saudi Arabia has 12 wind projects that are either installed, under development or tendered.
Scaling back on NEOM and up on AI
Despite progress on the renewable energy front, large futuristic initiatives like NEOM’s smart-city vision are being re-evaluated and scaled back due to cost pressures and shifting investment priorities. The NEOM green hydrogen project remains under development, with approximately 250 wind turbines installed and the associated facility reaching 80% completion by mid-2025. Saudi Arabia aims to become an AI leader through initiatives such as HUMAIN and the large-scale rollout of data centres – heavily dependent on expanding renewable energy capacity. An agreement between NEOM and DataVolt to develop a net-zero, 1.5 GW renewable-powered data centre campus at Oxagon highlights how wind and solar energy are becoming central to powering the Kingdom’s digital growth and technological development strategy.
South Africa
South Africa continued to make meaningful progress in integrating clean energy into its power mix in 2025, with wind energy remaining a central pillar of the country’s powersector transition and energy-security strategy. Policy and market reforms introduced over the past two years began translating into tangible progress across procurement pipelines, grid planning and increased private-sector participation. For international investors, 2025 marked an important transition from policy design to implementation, with several structural reforms strengthening the regulatory and institutional environment for renewable energy deployment.
Policy and institutional reforms
Government reforms in the electricity sector continued to accelerate following the establishment of the Ministry of Electricity and Energy in 2024. Throughout 2025, the policy focus was on stabilising procurement pipelines, accelerating grid expansion and implementing transmission-sector reforms aimed at improving market efficiency and enabling greater private-sector participation. A key enabling instrument is the Electricity Regulation Amendment Act, which provides the legislative framework for restructuring the electricity market. The Act supports the gradual liberalisation of the power sector and establishes the foundation for an independent TSO. Progress was also made in the ongoing unbundling of the state-owned utility, Eskom. During 2025, the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) assumed a more prominent role in grid planning, connection processes and transmission development, signalling a shift towards a more independent and transparent transmission system framework.
Integrated Resource Plan 2025
A major milestone for the sector was the approval of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2025 by the South African Cabinet in October 2025, following several years of consultation. The IRP provides a long-term roadmap for South Africa’s electricity generation mix through to 2042 and establishes the strategic direction for power-sector investment and policy. The plan outlines a diversified energy portfolio aimed at balancing energy security, economic development and emission reduction. It targets more than 114 GW of new generation capacity by 2042 across solar PV, onshore wind, distributed generation, battery storage, gas-to-power and nuclear power. Energy is expected to play a central role with 43 GW of new wind capacity targeted for installation by 2042, representing approximately 49% of the renewable energy component and around 30% of the overall generation mix. Compared with previous planning frameworks, IRP 2025 significantly increases the role of renewable energy while gradually reducing reliance on coal-fired generation. The plan also provides long-term investment signals for developers, investors and infrastructure providers across the generation and transmission value chain.
Grid capacity and transmission expansion
Cape and Eastern Cape, where the majority of wind and solar resources are located, continue to act as a bottleneck for new project connections. In response, government and transmission authorities accelerated planning and investment in transmission infrastructure throughout 2025. The Transmission Development Plan (TDP) 2025, published by NTCSA, outlines a significant expansion of South Africa’s transmission network to support the integration of new generation capacity. Initial funding has been secured for the first phase of implementation. Several priority projects are progressing from planning into early execution, such as expansion of transmission corridors, reinforcement of existing grid infrastructure and construction of new substations. These investments are designed to relieve congestion in key renewable energy zones and enable the connection of new wind and solar generation capacity. However, the pace of transmission development is expected to lag behind the rapid growth of renewable projects. As a result, grid constraints and curtailment risks may persist in the near to medium term.
Generation connection capacity and curtailment framework
The NTCSA’s Generation Connection Capacity Assessment 2025 Update provided further confirmation of grid constraints, indicating that key renewable energy regions, particularly the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces, have reached full grid connection capacity under existing infrastructure. To address this challenge, NTCSA introduced a congestion curtailment framework for the Western and Eastern Cape regions, allowing controlled reductions in renewable generation during periods of network congestion. The framework was approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) as a constrained generation ancillary service, effective from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2028. Under a moderate curtailment scenario of approximately 4%, estimates suggest that available grid connection capacity in these regions could increase from roughly 5,625 MW to approximately 7,205 MW by 2028, enabling additional renewable projects to connect to the grid while longer-term transmission expansion projects are implemented.
Transition toward a wholesale electricity market
Another significant structural reform underway in 2025 was the development of the South African Wholesale Electricity Market (SAWEM), which is intended to introduce greater competition, transparency and efficiency in electricity trading. SAWEM is being prepared for implementation beginning in Q3 2026. Industry engagement and capacitybuilding efforts were prioritised throughout the year. Initiatives such as the SAWEM School provided training and practical guidance to industry participants preparing to operate within a competitive electricity market environment. Through four training cohorts, approximately 162 South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) members improved their understanding of market participation requirements, trading mechanisms and risk management considerations associated with the transition from a vertically integrated utility model to a competitive electricity market.
Looking ahead
By the end of 2025, South Africa remained the largest wind energy market in Africa, with more than 4 GW of operational capacity, approximately 2.8 GW currently under construction, and a growing pipeline of over 60 GW. Of this pipeline, roughly 17 GW of projects are at advanced stages of development, with a significant portion expected to reach financial close or construction within the next five years. This robust project pipeline, combined with increasing policy certainty, ongoing market reforms and expanded transmission investment, reinforces South Africa’s position as one of the most attractive renewable energy markets in Africa for international investors. Wind energy is expected to remain central to the country’s energy transition and future electricity supply, supporting both energy security objectives and long-term decarbonisation goals.
Türkiye
Türkiye’s wind sector has entered a new phase of structural expansion. As of January 2026, the country’s installed wind capacity reached about 16 GW, following a record annual increase of 2.1 GW in 2025, according to the Turkish Wind Energy Association. Combined wind and solar capacity has now surpassed 40 GW. The government has set a long-term target of 120 GW of wind and solar by 2035, implying annual wind additions of 2–2.5 GW over the coming decade. With the Marmara and Aegean regions leading installations and regulatory reform mechanisms that aim to streamline project approvals, policy signals are becoming more predictable and long-term. This trajectory reflects a strategic response to rising electricity demand, energy security pressures, and the need to strengthen domestic industrial capacity and to leverage it for exports to Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. Regulatory reforms aimed at streamlining permitting and enhancing auction design are improving long-term visibility for investors. As Türkiye increases its role in global climate diplomacy and prepares to host COP31 later this year, wind is shifting from a growth sector to core national infrastructure underpinning industrial expansion, grid resilience and economic sovereignty.
Industrial hub serving East and West
A key feature of Türkiye’s success is its evolution from a deployment market to an integrated industrial hub. International OEMs from Europe and Asia, alongside domestic manufacturers, are embedding operations in the market instead of focusing on short-term plays. European manufacturers were among the earliest to establish a structural presence. Nordex, through its subsidiary Nordex Enerji, has maintained long-standing operations in Türkiye, including local service and training facilities. In the 2024 YEKA Res tender, Nordex secured substantial turbine supply contracts, including around 750 MW with Enerjisa Üretim, while sourcing and manufacturing key components domestically in line with localisation requirements. Chinese suppliers are expanding their footprint. Goldwind has been active in Türkiye for 10 years, operating over 400 MW and holding a pipeline of approximately 700 MW across regions including Malatya, Adıyaman and Çanakkale. Beyond project development, Goldwind has aligned with Türkiye’s localisation framework by partnering to establish a blade manufacturing facility in Izmir to support YEKA projects.
Beyond capacity expansion, wind-plus storage integration is further reinforcing Türkiye’s competitive edge. The country has granted pre-licenses for roughly 15–16 GW of wind projects combined with battery storage, alongside a similar pipeline of solarplus-storage projects. These hybrid configurations enhance grid stability, improve dispatch flexibility and reduce curtailment risk, showcasing the critical advantages of an electrified system. Some landmark developments, such as the 132 MWh battery energy storage system planned in connection with the Göktepe wind farm through cooperation between Polat Energy and Rolls-Royce Solutions, signal that large-scale storage is moving from concept to implementation. As renewable penetration rises, hybrid wind and storage systems are increasingly viewed not as optional add-ons but as essential infrastructure to enhance dispatch flexibility, improve grid reliability and strengthen the long-term economics of wind assets in Türkiye.
Offshore wind
Türkiye is positioning offshore wind as a long-term pillar of its energy transition under the National Energy Plan for 2035 and its 2053 net-zero target. Although the country currently has no installed offshore capacity, it aims to reach 5 GW by 2035, with most of its resource potential suited to floating technology. Inclusion within the updated YEKDEM support scheme demonstrates policy commitment. The next critical step is the issuance of a competitive tender, which will provide price discovery, investor clarity and concrete momentum. While grid readiness, port modernisation and financing frameworks will determine the pace of deployment, a well-designed tender process would mark a decisive shift from ambition to execution. Türkiye illustrates what ‘winning with wind’ looks like in the Electrotech era: sustained capacity growth, embedded industrial development, hybrid system integration and long-term strategic planning. Wind is no longer a supplementary renewable source; it is a foundational infrastructure for economic resilience and industrial competitiveness.
Access the report here