China Wind Order Intake Hits 150 GW+ as Non-China Market Grows 66% YoY: Study

Global wind turbine orders neared a record in 2025, even as China—the industry’s largest market—recorded an 8% year-on-year decline, prompting manufacturers to look overseas for growth.

The figures point to a two-speed global wind market in 2025, with slowing procurement in China offset by record demand across Europe, the Middle East, and other overseas markets.

Despite the strong overall outcome, the study shows an 8% year-on-year decline in total order volume, driven by softer intake in China as developers prioritised delivery and execution of existing backlogs. This decline came despite a 66% surge in Chinese original equipment manufacturer (OEM) orders across international markets in 2025.

Demand Outside China Sets New Record

Outside China, firm order intake reached a record 65 GW in 2025, supported by a record fourth quarter. Europe delivered a meaningful upside surprise, with onshore orders rising more than 60% year-on-year, as regulatory reforms in Germany unlocked permitting. Around 21 GW of wind capacity was permitted in 2025, double the level in 2024, accelerating turbine ordering.

Vestas led non-Chinese manufacturers with 16 GW of orders, while Nordex topped European onshore intake and secured a record 10 GW globally. As the domestic Chinese market matures, leading OEMs have for several years looked towards overseas growth regions. In 2025, this strategy began to bear fruit through high-specification, flexible offerings supported by China’s low-cost manufacturing base. Firm order intake outside China rose 66% year-on-year in 2025 and more than tripled compared with 2023 levels.

China Captures African Market

According to the latest research, Chinese manufacturers captured 95% of new wind capacity in the Middle East and Africa in 2025, driven by the early availability of 10 MW-plus turbines suited for gigawatt-scale projects, said Finlay Clark, Principal Analyst at Wood Mackenzie.

“In the Middle East and Africa (MEA), developers favoured early 10 MW model availability to minimise costs on gigawatt-scale projects, supporting Chinese OEMs capturing 95% of regional capacity in 2025,” Clark said. He linked this shift to developments in Saudi Arabia, where Goldwind secured a 3.1 GW order across two sites, marking the largest single turbine order ever recorded in the region.

China Awarded Over 150 GW of Wind Orders in 2025

The divergence was most pronounced outside China, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Even so, Chinese manufacturers dominated the 2025 leaderboard, occupying eight of the top ten positions, as developers in China continued to drive around 70% of global orders, despite a softer domestic year.

Goldwind led the rankings, followed by Envision and Windey. Domestic projects still accounted for nearly 90% of Chinese OEM intake, even as overseas momentum gathered pace.

“China awarded over 150 GW of wind orders in 2025, a strong outcome despite a 15% year-on-year decline from the 2024 peak,” said Yuan Ren, Senior Analyst, Power & Renewables. “Power market reforms typically slow procurement, but the new price settlement mechanism supported revenue visibility. Sustained high intake reflected resilient onshore demand and wind’s stronger capture prices compared with solar.”

Wind Turbine Pricing Remained Flat Despite Competition

Turbine pricing remained broadly flat in 2025 and stayed elevated compared with 2022 and 2023, even as competition remained intense. New policy frictions added cost and complexity to procurement, with the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and expanded US tariffs lifting landed costs for steel-intensive components. This has made surcharges and compliance clauses increasingly common.

Under CBAM, turbine costs could rise by low single-digit percentages, although developers and regulators continue to push for lower pricing to protect project economics.

Offshore Wind Intake Fell 17% in 2025 as Procurement Slowed

Offshore wind order intake fell 17% in 2025, as procurement slowed ahead of multiple redesigned tender frameworks in Europe. New and improved subsidy schemes are expected to roll out through 2026, supporting a stronger award pipeline for OEMs.

This includes Vestas’ recent 1.4 GW order at the Norfolk Vanguard West project, which was backed by the UK’s Auction Round 7 in January.

“Policy measures are creating upward pressure on input costs, but project economics continue to demand lower pricing. This tension between regulatory costs and market demands could accelerate the development of new onshore turbine technologies, particularly in Europe and the US,” Clark said.

The growing tension between rising regulatory costs and pressure to lower prices is increasingly shaping turbine design, procurement strategies, and where manufacturers choose to compete.