Latin America Must Strengthen Its Wind Energy Supply Chain to Capture a Once-in-a-Generation Growth Opportunity, Finds New GWEC Report

14 November 2025, Belem, Brazil | Latin America could more than double its onshore wind capacity by 2035, surpassing 120 GW, and install its first gigawatts of offshore wind within the same decade, according to a new report from the Global Wind Energy Council. But this growth will only be possible if governments and industry strengthen the region’s fragmented supply chain, currently heavily concentrated in Brazil and Mexico, to meet rising demand across the continent.  

Mission Critical: Building the LAC Wind Energy Supply Chain for a Clean and Just Energy Transition highlights that while Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have vast wind potential and an expanding pipeline of projects - 1GW is projected by end of 2032 for LAC,  6 GW OFW by 2035,  19,6 GW OFW by 2040, and reaching 40,6GW by 2045 - policy uncertainty, weak infrastructure and supply chain bottlenecks could prevent the region from realising its full opportunity in the global energy transition. 

Download The Report

Ben Backwell, CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council, said: "The growth of renewable energy is an energy transition success story - 92.5% of all new capacity additions in 2024 came from renewable sources. But this success must get bigger, and quickly. 

The sector needs to achieve a 16.6% growth rate for the rest of this decade to reach the tripling goal set at COP28. Wind needs to step up. GWEC's new report details how the Latin America and Caribbean region can deliver on its potential by building a supply chain that will unlock the region's wind energy potential. 

A strong supply chain can deliver long-term jobs and a local manufacturing base. Renewed ports and infrastructure can transform regional economies, and strong regional cooperation can be built on strategic integration with regional natural resources. Wind energy can be the driver of an energy transition that creates jobs, growth and security for all." 

A Decisive Decade for Wind Energy in Latin America 

 With COP30 taking place in Belém, Brazil, the report comes at a pivotal moment for the region. Global leaders have committed to tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, yet progress remains off track. Wind energy is a cornerstone of the clean energy transition, with 1,136 GW of installed capacity globally at the end of 2024, and on course to grow to 2,100 GW by 2030. But to stay aligned with climate goals, global installations must accelerate sharply and Latin America will play a crucial role in that. 

GWEC’s analysis, developed with our project partner ERM, sets out that the LAC region’s onshore wind industry has established industrial bases in Brazil and Mexico, with complementary capabilities in Argentina and emerging markets in Chile and Colombia. However, the region remains dependent on imports for critical components such as gearboxes, and currently lacks local capacity for offshore assembly, specialized vessels, and transmission infrastructure. 

A Call for Coordinated Action 

The report highlights the key role regional cooperation, investment, and industrial strategy will play in unlocking this opportunity, especially for offshore wind. Building resilient local supply chains will not only secure energy independence and reduce import exposure but also create high-quality jobs and industrial value across the region. 

Key Findings and Challenges 

The report identifies eight key challenges hindering the region’s ability to scale wind power and industrial capacity, including: 

• Political volatility and instability in market demand are hindering the Latin American wind industry’s ability to adjust and scale its production capacity.  

• Transmission infrastructure limitations and the absence of flexible grid solutions. 

• Structural vulnerabilities, such as dependence on imports for key components and materials. 

• The development of the offshore segment remains incipient, with few projects at an advanced stage and several regulatory, financial and logistical barriers. 

• The current port and logistics infrastructure is insufficient to support large-scale offshore projects.  

• Latin America lacks specialized vessels and shipyard capacity to support offshore wind deployment. 

• The region faces a critical shortage of qualified professionals for offshore wind and limited local capacity for research, development, and manufacturing of complex components. 

• Over-reliance on Asian suppliers and lack of regional collaboration undermine local supply chain development and expose the region to geopolitical and price volatility risks. 

There are opportunities for the LAC region in the global market as well, for example the region holds 25% of the world’s critical minerals needed for the clean energy transition, including copper, lithium, and rare earths, which give it a strategic advantage for industrial growth and technology integration. 

Six Recommendations for Action 

1. Build regulatory certainty to unlock wind energy and supply chain investment.
2. Strengthen transmission and port infrastructure to support the region’s energy transition
3. Accelerate local manufacturing and industrial development for wind energy supply chains
4. Implement financial mechanisms and tax incentives to reduce the cost of capital and make large scale projects viable
5. Promote technology transfer and integration with strategic natural resources
6. Strengthen regional cooperation and energy integration to scale up the supply chain and build competitiveness  

A Regional Vision for a Just Energy Transition 

The report concludes that strengthening the LAC wind energy supply chain is mission critical for ensuring that the region’s clean energy transition is not only fast and secure, but also fair. Strategic investment in local industry could transform Latin America into a global hub for wind manufacturing — boosting resilience, lowering costs, and positioning the region as a leader in clean industrialization.