- Wind Energy Association: China must follow rules
Fair competition must, from the perspective of WindEurope, the European wind energy association, be the basic prerequisite for Chinese wind energy companies to access the EU market. "Chinese manufacturers are knocking hard on the door and want to enter the European market, as they did 15 years ago with solar and photovoltaics," said WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson in an interview with the German Press Agency in Rostock.
Chinese companies are underbidding European manufacturers by 30 to 50 percent and offering payment delays of several years. "These financial conditions can only be offered because the cash flow of Chinese state-owned financial banks is supporting them." The companies are active on all continents and now want to establish themselves in the European market as well.
Dickson aligns with the position of the EU Commission, which insists that Chinese turbines should only be offered on a fair basis. The EU has the tools and means to legally enforce this. The overall situation is currently being investigated, after which conclusions will be drawn. This could happen by the end of this year or next year.
A matter of data security
"We believe in open markets. And we believe in fair markets," said the WindEurope CEO, who also raised security concerns. New wind turbines have up to 300 sensors that transmit many data to control centers every minute. These data should remain in Europe or in safe countries, Dickson warned. "In the current EU legislation, China is not on the list of safe countries."
It should be noted that the transmitted data not only provides information about the condition and function of the respective components. "They also have the capacity to control and dominate this component." The question arises as to whether one wants to allow Chinese providers to do this, said Dickson. "We are still in the process of exiting a foolish dependence on Russian gas. We should not enter a higher dependence on Chinese renewable energy."
Low market share of Chinese companies
According to the Brussels-based association, the share of Chinese turbines ordered in Europe last year was less than three percent. The remaining 97 percent of orders went to the five major European turbine manufacturers. This means that one can currently still say that almost all wind energy projects in Europe are operated with European turbines.
Dickson visited the specialist conference Rostock Wind. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern aims to cover its entire energy demand, including heat supply and mobility, from renewable sources by 2035. However, significant expansion is still needed for this. Currently, 1,859 wind turbines generate electricity in MV.
The European Commission shares Dickson's concerns about fair competition, stressing that Chinese turbines should only enter the EU market under fair terms. Due to data security concerns, Dickson advocates for keeping sensitive wind turbine data within Europe or secure countries, as China is not currently listed as such in EU legislation.
