The wind turbine industry in Europe must ensure that the supply chain does not become too dependent on other regions, Jochen Eickholt, CEO of wind turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa, said on Wednesday at a wind turbine conference in Bilbao. 

The fear is that the industry could suffer the same fate as the European solar industry, which has been overrun by cheaper and subsidized Chinese rivals. 

”Right now there is a danger of that. We in the wind energy industry are a little bit afraid of becoming the next solar industry. That shouldn’t happen,” said Eickholt. 

He also spoke about the need for more innovation to achieve Europe’s renewable energy goals. 

”Energy independence and sovereignty are important elements of the European mindset, and therefore it is also important that our competencies in innovation are not reduced. At the same time, we need to ensure that we can continue to deliver technologies without over-dependence on other parts of the world,” he said.

(Translated using DeepL with additional editing by Catherine Brett)