SGRE chief calls for EU turbine quota to protect industry from ‘unfair’ Chinese competition

Renewing its call for greater support to protect the European wind industry, Jochen Eickholt, Siemens Gamesa’s chief executive told the newspaper: “Certainly, not for 100 per cent of the installations but certainly for a certain portion of the installations [in Europe], you need to have things in your own hands.”

Last month, Siemens Gamesa announced plans to cut almost 3000 jobs globally and warned that European energy independence is in “imminent danger” as wind turbine manufacturers suffer massive losses while China profits from “unfair advantage”.

It issued a white paper that suggested Europe’s wind sector as a whole should be declared an industry of strategic importance, in order to be able to instigate the technology and capacity necessary to deliver the European green deal.

The white paper called for a level playing field to be established across Europe to “protect the European wind industry” over the long term. “This can be done through trade and/or fiscal policy instruments that would offset subsidies from other countries or through strict requirements in pre-qualification and participation conditions for tenders.”

Even if certain geopolitical tensions or supply chain disruptions happened, Europe would “perhaps not have the cheapest answer, but would have an answer”, Eickholt told the FT today. “At the end of the day, we feel that there is an imbalanced battle, or at least we do not have the same level of opportunities here.”