Signs of uptick for foreign wind OEMs as China talks co-operation

“Wind has been successful in China because of the contributions of both domestic and foreign companies,” said Yao Xingjia, president of the Chinese Wind Energy Association (CWEA).

The country installed 23.2GW of wind capacity last year, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), and appears to be on track to add 25GW in 2015.

Western turbine manufacturers have steadily lost market share in China over the past decade, collectively claiming just 1.7% of sales in 2014. 

However, a number of analysts — including Yiyi Zhou of Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) — have told Recharge that Gamesa, GE and Vestas could grab a combined 5% of the market in 2015. 

Yao suggested that the outlook for foreign companies in China’s wind sector will improve. “In the future, there will be opportunities for all of you,” he said.