MingYang 'plans German wind turbine factory' in Chinese first in Europe

Manufacturer aims to start work on plant within three years, senior executive is quoted saying

MingYang is a major player in China.
MingYang is a major player in China.Foto: MYSE

MingYang Smart Energy is said to be planning a wind turbine production plant in Germany, in what would be a first for a Chinese OEM in a European market dominated by local players.

MingYang hopes to begin work on the production plant within three years, according to the Bloomberg financial news agency quoting company vice president Ye Fan. The factory, probably in the south of Germany, would be able to produce at least 1GW of machines annually and act as a distributor for parts, it added.
No further details of the type of turbines to be produced was given. Recharge has contacted MingYang for comment on the Bloomberg report.

If it is built, a MingYang factory in Germany would mark a major stepping-up of Chinese ambition in the European market, and a reversal of the situation that has for years seen European wind OEMs set up plants in China in the hope of capturing market share there.

Spanish-German OEM Siemens Gamesa CEO Andreas Nauen was recently quoted saying the company will halt its onshore wind sales operation in China, with its production base there to be focused on exports.

Guangdong-based MingYang is among a clutch of Chinese manufacturers tipped to benefit from massive growth on- and offshore, as China pursues renewable energy targets that include 1,200GW of wind and solar installation by the end of the decade.

Chinese manufacturers’ presence in Europe has so far been limited to R&D centres, but MingYang and peers such as Goldwind and Envision Energy are likely to see strong growth potential in the European sector as they ramp up their machines to win business in a fast-growing market at home.

MingYang last year started prototype operation of a 5.2MW turbine, the MySE5.2-166, that was said to be the largest onshore machine up and running in China so far.
MingYang in 2020 set up its MYSE European Business & Engineering Centre in Hamburg with a focus on the offshore wind sector, and in August this year unveiled plans to build what at 16MW would be the most powerful turbine to be launched commercially so far, with an eye on the offshore wind market “from China to the North Sea”.
The company has already secured a breakthrough for China in Europe with a deal to equip Italy’s first offshore wind farm.
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Published 24 September 2021, 07:29Updated 24 September 2021, 07:52
Ming Yang Smart EnergyEurope