Construction surge pushes US wind outlook higher

The US wind industry is on track to connect more than 50GW of capacity through 2030 after Wood Mackenzie raised its five-year outlook by 4% quarter-on-quarter in its US Wind Energy Monitor Q2 2026 report.

Wood Mackenzie said the higher forecast follows a surge in construction activity, with developers concentrating resources on projects that can reach commercial operation before the tax credit window closes.

The research group added that construction starts increased 8% from Q1 2025 to Q1 2026, firm turbine order intake reached 1.1GW in Q1 2026, and offshore wind additions are forecast to peak in 2027 as the remaining 5.2GW under construction approaches completion.

“The 4% upgrade reflects a market in execution mode,” said Diego Espinosa, Senior Research Analyst at Wood Mackenzie.

“Developers are concentrating resources on projects that can reach commercial operation before the tax credit window closes, and the pipeline is responding accordingly.”

“Wind’s story does not end in 2030 with the sunset of tax credits — it changes,” said Kárys Prado, Senior Research Analyst at Wood Mackenzie.

“The challenge for developers is to build a new investment logic that reduces reliance on tax equity, while capturing the upside that comes from tight supply meeting strong demand.”

Wood Mackenzie said corporate power purchase agreements increased year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, including a 1.9GW portfolio deal between Google and Xcel Energy, while utility procurement declined over the same period.

The report said 81GW of wind capacity will reach 15 years of age by 2035, creating a repowering opportunity, with at least 45% of the three-year repowering forecast already underway.

Offshore wind additions are meanwhile forecast to peak in 2027 as the remaining 5.2GW under construction approaches completion.

More information:https://www.renews.biz/onshore-wind/construction-surge-pushes-us-wind-outlook-higher/