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Chinese developers went on a 17GW order spree in Q2. Photo: Tuchong

Vestas leads as global wind turbine orders smash records in Q2

Massive spree by Chinese developers drives orders to new heights but Danish group still top OEM, says Wood Mackenzie

by Andrew Lee

04 September 2019

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Global wind turbine order intake smashed records in the second quarter of the year, hitting a best-ever 31GW as Chinese developers went on a buying spree and Vestas retained its place as world number-one, said research group Wood Mackenzie.

The April-June period marked a 111% order uplift on the same quarter a year earlier and beat by 13GW the previous record period in Q4 2018, said figures in the latest of Wood Mackenzie’s Global Wind Turbine Order Analysis studies.

The surge was driven by a 17GW second-quarter order spree by Chinese developers racing to beat subsidy deadlines – a situation that also drove a record US market.

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The record Chinese quarter included 3GW of offshore wind orders, continuing the steep upward trend in the sector there, said Wood Mackenzie.

Despite the Chinese boom, Vestas retained its global number-one position with “the best quarter for an OEM in any year”, said Luke Lewandowski, Wood Mackenzie director of Americas power & renewables research. Vestas said it booked 5.7GW when it released its second quarter results in August.

“Despite a massive quarter for orders in China, diversity in the market, illustrated by seven OEMs with more than 1GW of order capacity, prevented a dominant leader, which allowed Vestas to retain the top spot.”

Wood Mackenzie said pricing increased in several markets due to strong demand and larger, newer, more expensive models hitting the market.

Lewandowski added: “Pricing in the US and China increased due to strong demand, as order books continue to fill up in preparation for 2020 installations.”