EU Targets Chinese Wind Turbine Subsidies in New Investigation
The European Union has opened a formal investigation to determine if Chinese wind turbine manufacturers are benefiting from unfair government support. This probe, announced by Margrethe Vestager, European Commission executive vice-president, focuses specifically on wind farm developments within five EU nations: Spain, Greece, France, Romania, and Bulgaria.
The European Commission is concerned that government subsidies could give Chinese wind turbine companies a significant advantage, allowing them to undercut European competitors. This could disrupt the European market and put domestic manufacturers at risk. The EU is determined to ensure fair competition within its borders.
The EU’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation provides a framework for the Commission to act if they uncover evidence of unfair practices.
“We have reasons to suspect that unfair foreign subsidies may be harming the wind turbine market,” an EU spokesperson stated. “This investigation will gather the necessary information to determine the impact of these potential subsidies.”
Margrethe Vestager, European Commission executive vice-president, said, “We can’t afford to see what happened on solar panels, happening again on electric vehicles, wind or essential chips.”
Some wind turbines from China are being sold for half the price of European models On top of that, Chinese manufacturers offer very attractive payment terms, letting wind farm operators wait up to 3 years before paying! European companies can’t compete with these deals, especially since rules prevent them from offering similar payment delays, said, Giles Dickson, director of Wind Europe,
