Policy

Global wind industry slams 'ideological attacks' and tariffs in Trump swipe

GWEC says hostile policies and trade wars add to problems for industry that still managed record growth last year

Donald Trump has adopted policies hostile to the wind sector and renewables generally since his return to the White House.
Donald Trump has adopted policies hostile to the wind sector and renewables generally since his return to the White House.Photo: The White House
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The wind industry’s global lobbying group urged policymakers to back away from tariffs and hostile acts towards the sector in a thinly veiled swipe at US President Donald Trump.

The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) said the sector is being held back by a “more volatile policy environment” in some regions that includes “ideologically driven attacks on wind and renewables and the halting of under construction projects, threatening investment certainty.”

The US has since Trump took office seen a hostile agenda towards offshore wind that culminated in last week’s halting of the under construction Empire Wind project, along with wider concerns over the impact of a punitive tariffs policy.

GWEC CEO Ben Backwell added: “The aggressive stoking of tariff wars adds further uncertainty to international investment decisions and threatens to disrupt the international supply chains which the wind industry relies on.

“The full costs on our industry of the wide array of declared and threatened tariffs we have seen – both general and on specific commodities such as steel – have yet to be fully calculated.”

Policy concerns have also hit confidence in Australia, where offshore wind growth expectations have cooled on fears of a hostile incoming government and complaints about excessive red tape.
GWEC in its latest Global Wind Report predicts annual installations that rise from 138GW this year to 194GW in 2030, at an 8.8% average compound growth rate that will see almost 1TW of capacity added to the global fleet.

Offshore’s contribution will rise from an additional 16GW in 2025 to 34GW in 2030.

GWEC installation forecasts to 2030Photo: GWEC Global Wind Report 2025

Wind added a record 117GW in 2024 to bring total installations to 1,136GW at the end of last year.

However, GWEC cautioned that growth was driven by a few strong markets, notably China, which again fuelled global growth with almost 80GW added.

The industry group echoed regional peers such as WindEurope in citing grids, permitting and sub-optimal auction mechanisms as barriers to growth.

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Published 23 April 2025, 10:29Updated 23 April 2025, 10:29
Donald TrumpGWECOffshoreAmericas