Chinese suppliers account for two thirds of record wind intalls in 2023

A record 120.7 GW of new wind turbine capacity was mechanically installed globally in 2023, with Chinese suppliers delivering 81.6 GW, about two thirds of the total, according to the Global Wind Energy Council’s (GWEC) annual Supply Side Data report.

The data showed that 23,833 wind turbines were installed last year, supplied by 30 manufacturers, including 19 from the Asia-Pacific region, eight from Europe, two from America and one from the Middle East.

Growth was propelled by orders from the companies’ home markets, in particular China, the US and Europe, GWEC said.

China’s Goldwind became the number one turbine supplier in 2023, installing 16.7 GW. It was followed by compatriot Envision, which climbed three positions. Denmark’s Vestas lost two positions to rank third, although its installations in 2023 increased by 1% from 2022. Chinese manufacturers Windey and Mingyang round off the top five. Sany and Dongfang are the other Chinese companies featured in the top 10.

In Europe, the top five turbine suppliers are Vestas, Siemens Gamesa, Nordex Group, GE Vernova and Enercon.

Image: GWEC

“Although the fierce price competition in China has been driving Chinese turbine OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] to pursue opportunities in the overseas markets since 2021, 97% of their installations in 2023 are still in their home market,” noted Feng Zhao, head of strategy and market intelligence at GWEC.

GWEC chief executive Ben Backwell commented that wind growth should spread beyond mature markets.

“The data in this report paints a picture of a global industry that has entered a period of accelerated growth. However, that growth is concentrated in mature markets like China, the US and Germany. For wind energy to play its full role in the push to achieve net zero, growth needs to speed up across the globe, particularly in emerging and developing economies,” he said.

GWEC’s report follows recent data on wind suppliers from BloombergNEF and Wood Mackenzie.

GWEC also recently released its Global Wind Report.

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