Offshore Wind Manufacturing, Goldwind and Mingyang Lead 77% Market Share, 19 GW 2025 Additions, and 26 MW Turbine Models (2024 to 2025)

China’s offshore wind sector has established an unassailable manufacturing lead, leveraging immense domestic project pipelines to create economies of scale that now define the global supply chain. In 2024 and 2025, Chinese original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) transitioned from serving a protected home market to dominating global turbine installations and setting the pace for next-generation technology. This scale has allowed them to produce larger, more powerful turbines at a lower cost, putting intense pressure on Western competitors and reshaping the competitive dynamics of the industry. The central dynamic is no longer about if Chinese turbines will compete globally, but how markets in Europe and the Americas will respond to their cost and technology advantages.

Chinese Turbine Adoption, Goldwind Dominates with 77% Market Share

Chinese turbine manufacturers leveraged immense domestic demand to achieve economies of scale and technological advancements, enabling them to capture the majority of the global market by 2025.

OEM Market Share Consolidation

By 2024, the global wind turbine market was firmly controlled by Chinese suppliers. For the first time, five Chinese companies ranked ahead of Vestas in terms of annual installations. The top three positions globally were held by Chinese firms, with Goldwind, Envision, and Mingyang leading the market. This shift was driven by China’s massive domestic installation program, which accounted for a significant portion of global capacity additions. These firms have become some of the top 10 companies in China in 2025 for offshore wind.

Global Installation Dominance

The trend solidified in 2025. China’s wind industry installed a record 79.8 GW of new capacity in 2024, and while the global offshore wind market saw 11.7 GW in additions, China accounted for over half of that volume. By March 2025, Chinese manufacturers held a commanding 77% of the global market for new wind turbines. The scale of China’s domestic build-out, with 138 operational offshore wind farms by April 2025, provides a stable demand base that underpins this manufacturing supremacy and supports the development of China’s top 10 offshore projects.

China Solidifies Global Leadership in Offshore Wind Installations
China accounts for over 50% of both new (50.47% of 8 GW) and total (50.3% of 83.2 GW) offshore wind installations globally as of June 2025, underscoring its unparalleled deployment pace and market dominance. This cements China’s role as the undisputed global leader in offshore wind capacity.

(Source: GWEC Market Intelligence — via China's wind giants are coming for Europe)

Mingyang Investment, £2 B Plan for UK Manufacturing Facility

Chinese OEMs are using capital from their dominant domestic position to fund strategic international expansion, directly challenging Western incumbents in their home markets.

Strategic International Expansion

Chinese manufacturers are actively seeking footholds in international markets, particularly in Europe. Their turbines are often priced 20% below those of their Western counterparts, creating a compelling economic argument for developers. In October 2025, Mingyang Smart Energy announced a major investment plan for the United Kingdom, signaling a clear intent to establish a manufacturing presence within Europe to serve its growing offshore wind market. This move mirrors the difficult decisions facing project developers in the US market, which has seen its own share of project cancellations.

Targeting European Projects

The push into Europe is strategic. By establishing local manufacturing, companies like Mingyang aim to mitigate potential trade barriers and supply chain risks while competing directly for contracts in key markets like the UK. This strategy is designed to capture market share in a region historically dominated by European OEMs and home to some of the world’s most ambitious offshore wind projects.

Table: Key Chinese Offshore Wind Investments and Deployments (2024-2025)

China vs. Europe, Goldwind and Mingyang Offshore Wind Expansion

While China’s domestic market remains the bedrock of its offshore wind industry, its leading companies are making calculated, albeit difficult, entries into the European market, creating a new competitive front.

Domestic Market as a Springboard

China’s domestic market is unparalleled in scale. By the end of 2025, the country’s cumulative installed wind capacity was projected to exceed 691 GW, with its operational offshore fleet reaching 35 GW. This vast home market provides a stable revenue base and a real-world testing ground for new technologies, allowing companies to refine products and drive down costs before attempting to export them. This is a stark contrast to the challenges seen in the US, where numerous projects have been cancelled.

Navigating European Market Entry

The expansion into Europe is fraught with challenges, including political scrutiny, intense competition from established players like Siemens Gamesa and Vestas, and the need to adapt to different regulatory and certification standards. Despite these hurdles, Chinese firms are gaining traction. The price advantage is a significant factor, but companies are also highlighting their technological advancements to win over developers in Europe’s top projects for 2025. The European Union is now grappling with how to respond to what it perceives as an uneven playing field, with concerns over Chinese state subsidies.

Turbine Technology, Mingyang 26 MW Model Pushes Commercial Limits

Chinese manufacturers have accelerated the offshore wind technology race, moving beyond imitation to lead in the development and deployment of ultra-large capacity turbines.

Rapid Increase in Turbine Capacity

Between 2021 and 2024, the industry standard for large offshore turbines hovered around 12-15 MW. However, by 2025, Chinese OEMs had commercialized and installed 16 MW to 18 MW turbines. In January 2026, reports highlighted that China was continuing to lead in single-unit capacity. This rapid escalation in turbine size is a direct result of intense domestic competition and the pursuit of a lower levelized cost of energy (LCOE).

Next-Generation Models

The technological leap continued with the announcement of even larger models. In 2025, a 26 MW offshore wind turbine model was unveiled in China, representing a significant step-change in power generation capacity from a single unit. While still in the development phase, its announcement signals the country’s ambition to stay at the forefront of turbine technology, including floating wind platforms where China installed its first 16 MW floating unit in 2025.

SWOT Analysis, China’s Offshore Wind Industry Risks (2024 to 2025)

China’s offshore wind sector’s strengths in scale and cost are counterbalanced by significant geopolitical and execution risks, creating a complex outlook for its global expansion.

Strengths and Opportunities

The primary strengths are manufacturing scale, a complete domestic supply chain, and lower costs. These factors create immense opportunities for export into emerging markets and cost-sensitive developed markets. The push into floating wind technology also opens a new, high-growth frontier where Chinese firms can establish early leadership.

Weaknesses and Threats

However, the sector faces weaknesses related to perceptions of lower quality and reliability compared to Western turbines, although this is changing. The most significant threats are geopolitical. The EU and US are actively considering trade barriers, tariffs, and anti-subsidy investigations, which could severely curtail the international growth ambitions of Chinese OEMs.

Table: SWOT Analysis for China’s Offshore Wind Sector (2021-2025)

Scenario Modelling, China’s EU Market Penetration and Trade Risks

The primary uncertainty for 2026 is whether European policy will erect trade barriers against Chinese turbines, which would fragment the global supply chain and alter the competitive landscape.

• If the EU imposes tariffs or strict anti-subsidy measures against Chinese turbines, watch for Chinese OEMs to accelerate plans for local manufacturing within Europe, as seen with Mingyang’s UK announcement. This would be an attempt to circumvent tariffs and qualify for local content requirements.
• If these measures are enacted, you could see a bifurcation of the global market. Europe and the US might become protected regions for Western OEMs, while China dominates Asia, Africa, and South America. This would increase costs for Western projects and slow the energy transition.
• A key signal to monitor is the outcome of any formal trade investigations launched by the European Commission in late 2025 or early 2026. The rhetoric from political leaders and the scope of these investigations will indicate the likely severity of any future trade actions.
• Conversely, if Europe opts for a more open market to accelerate its renewable targets and lower costs, watch for a rapid increase in the market share of Goldwind, Mingyang, and Envision in European projects. This would force further consolidation or restructuring among Western turbine manufacturers.

The questions your competitors are already asking

This report covers one angle of China’s global expansion in offshore wind manufacturing. The questions that matter most depend on your work.

• European Union investigation Chinese wind turbines
• US policy on Chinese wind turbines
• Vestas and Siemens Gamesa strategy against Chinese turbines
• Long term reliability data for Goldwind and Mingyang turbines

This report does not answer these. Enki Brief Pro does.

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