Designated areas for early offshore wind development
Romania has identified three Black Sea areas that together could accommodate around 3.1 GW of offshore wind. The selections are intended to indicate where the country’s first commercial offshore projects could be located. The largest zone could host approximately 1.9 GW, while two additional areas could accommodate around 600 MW each.
The Energy Ministry chose locations considered suitable primarily for fixed-bottom wind turbines. The selection process also aimed to avoid particularly sensitive areas. Average wind speeds in the prospective zones exceed 7.5 metres per second.
Capacity targets, resource estimates and technology split
The combined capacity of the identified zones broadly aligns with Romania’s national target of 3 GW of offshore wind by 2035. Technical potential is described as substantially higher in development work cited by Romanian authorities. Estimates suggest the Black Sea could support around 76 GW of offshore wind.
Those estimates include approximately 22 GW of fixed-bottom capacity and 54 GW using floating technology. Romania adopted the legal framework for offshore wind in 2024. Further implementing regulation, grid planning and administrative preparation are still required for concessions and large-scale development.
Timeline for first supply and accelerated build-out scenario
The first offshore projects could begin supplying electricity around 2030. An accelerated scenario could eventually lift Romanian offshore wind capacity to around 7 GW. This would expand the role of the Black Sea in power generation across Southeast Europe.
