Chinese manufacturers are pushing into the European market for wind turbines. A first major order to equip a wind farm off Borkum has alarmed employees and the IG Metall union.
The IG Metall and employee representatives of Siemens Energy have called for better protection against unfair competition from China in wind turbine construction. The reason is a preliminary contract for 16 large turbines, which was awarded to the Chinese manufacturer Ming Yang after a tender. According to the investor Luxcara, the gigantic wind turbines with a rotor diameter of 260 meters are to be installed in the Waterkant wind farm off the island of Borkum by 2028. The project is intended to generate electricity for 400,000 households.
The employees warn of unfair competition. The second chairman of IG Metall, Jürgen Kerner, draws a parallel: “After the solar industry, we are exposing another future technology to the risk of falling victim to unfair competition. That must not happen.” Control over the critical infrastructure must also not be lost.
The European wind energy association “Windeurope” has already drawn attention to this risk. The new wind turbines have up to 300 sensors that transmit data to the control centers every minute. This data should remain in Europe or in safe countries, the association warns. China is not one of them. The Chinese companies undercut the prices of European manufacturers by 30 to 50 percent and also grant payment deferrals of several years. This is only possible with the support of state banks.
The Hamburg-based company Luxcara has stated that EU requirements on sustainability and cybersecurity were also taken into account in the tender. Ming Yang guarantees that the turbines will be generated entirely with renewable energy and that relevant components will come from European suppliers.
Politicians must protect tens of thousands of jobs, demands Horst Hakelberg, Chairman of the General Works Council at Siemens Gamesa. Across Europe, 300,000 employees work directly or indirectly in the wind industry. “Above all, we must not deprive ourselves of the opportunity to implement the energy transition independently. New dependencies must be avoided at all costs.
Communication from Luxcara dated 2 July 2024 Communication from IG Metall
Source: Stern
