Saudi Arabia Nearly Quadruples Wind Power in One Year

Saudi Arabia added more wind power in 2025 than any other country in Africa or the Middle East, installing enough turbines to power hundreds of thousands of homes. The Kingdom's new wind capacity jumped 288% in just one year, according to the Global Wind Energy Council's latest report.

The numbers tell an impressive story. Saudi Arabia installed 1,512 megawatts of wind power in 2025, up from just 390 megawatts in 2024. That means the country accounted for nearly 58% of all new wind installations across the entire region.

The Kingdom's total wind capacity more than doubled, rising from 812 megawatts to 2,324 megawatts. While South Africa still leads the region overall with 4,037 megawatts of total installed capacity, Saudi Arabia's rapid growth shows how quickly the clean energy landscape is shifting.

The surge helped the entire Africa and Middle East region achieve its strongest year ever for wind energy. New capacity rose 32% across the region to reach 2.6 gigawatts in 2025, bringing total installed capacity to 15.2 gigawatts.

South Africa added 590 megawatts of new wind power, placing second in new installations. Morocco came in third with 261 megawatts, while Egypt added 242 megawatts despite slowing from its 2024 pace.

The Ripple Effect

The momentum shows no signs of stopping. Nearly 3 gigawatts of wind projects are currently under construction in South Africa alone, with another 17 gigawatts in advanced development stages. Egypt has 1.3 gigawatts under construction and nearly 10 gigawatts in its pipeline.

The Global Wind Energy Council forecasts the region will add 35 gigawatts of wind capacity between 2026 and 2030. The Middle East is expected to contribute 53% of that growth, with Africa providing the remaining 47%.

If planned manufacturing investments in Saudi Arabia and Oman move forward as announced, the Middle East could add more than 18 gigawatts of onshore wind capacity by 2030. That's enough clean energy to power millions of homes while reducing carbon emissions across one of the world's hottest regions.

The transformation marks a dramatic shift for a region long associated with oil production, proving that investing in renewable energy can deliver results faster than many experts predicted.