# China widens offshore wind turbine cost lead over Europe

*Domestic equipment prices near $195 per kilowatt and 48.4 gigawatts of operating capacity leave Western developers facing higher project costs and a 25-gigawatt offshore grid backlog.*

**Published:** October 5, 2026  
**By:** Mina Okoro  
**Section:** Analysis & Comparison — Cross-border  
**Format:** Asia Compare  
**Confidence:** medium  
**Source:** https://eastasiabrief.com/analysis/china-widens-offshore-wind-turbine-cost-lead-europe-529  
**Publisher:** East Asia Brief (https://eastasiabrief.com/)

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## What to know

- Chinese offshore turbines average $195 per kilowatt against $998 in Western markets
- China reached 48.4 gigawatts of installed offshore wind while Europe held 38.0 gigawatts
- GWEC releases its offshore turbine installation vessel report in late October 2026

![A worker in a hard hat stands beside a wind turbine blade inside an expansive manufacturing plant in China. (AI-generated image)](https://eastasiabrief.com/media/2026-10-04-9b3883109011.webp)
*A worker in a hard hat stands beside a wind turbine blade inside an expansive manufacturing plant in China. (AI-generated image)*

Chinese turbine manufacturers expanded their cost advantage over European competitors to more than 40% on Oct. 1, 2026, as domestic scale widened the operational capacity gap across global sea basins.

The cost divergence reflects a structural divide between integrated manufacturing hubs in China and Western supply networks constrained by inflation, high borrowing costs and port congestion.

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Cite as: East Asia Brief, "China widens offshore wind turbine cost lead over Europe," October 5, 2026. https://eastasiabrief.com/analysis/china-widens-offshore-wind-turbine-cost-lead-europe-529