Chinese Wind Firm Ming Yang Doubles Down on Europe After UK Snub
(Bloomberg) -- Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Ltd., a major Chinese maker of offshore wind turbines, aims to finalize a European site for a factory by June, after the UK rejected its plan to build a plant in Scotland.
“We will not be affected by the development in the UK as we are pushing ahead our European strategy,” the company’s Chairman Zhang Chuanwei said in an interview this week. He added the company would pick a location within the first half or “no later than this year.”
Setting up production in Europe is part of Ming Yang’s efforts to expand its footprint beyond the Chinese market, where it is already among the top three wind turbine manufacturers. The move also promises to extend the Asian nation’s dominance in the global renewables space, especially as countries rush to find alternatives to oil and gas, which have seen supplies upended and prices skyrocket due to the US-Israeli war against Iran.
The company has been scouting locations for a factory on the continent, conducting a “comprehensive” assessment of port access, the industrial ecosystem and market environment, Zhang said. A European site would also provide a launchpad for further expansion into African markets, he added.
Earlier in April, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez signaled during a meeting with the Ming Yang executive in Beijing that the country would be receptive to the firm’s investment. Zhang told Bloomberg News the nation has a strong industrial ecosystem and a highly attractive market.
“We have been closely involved with the upstream and downstream of some of Spain’s industrial chains for a long time, and we have had significant contacts with some of Spain’s key clients. I think this is an option — but not the only option,” he added, without specifying any other possible locations.
Ming Yang had been planning to set up a$2 billion plant in Scotland to gain a foothold in the European market, which has been long dominated by two local producers — Vestas Wind Systems A/S and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA. However, the UK government rejected the proposal in late March, citing national security concerns.
“We find it very surprising that the British government dealt with a purely commercial matter in a politicized manner,” Zhang said. “This is not only unfair to Ming Yang, but also undermines the confidence of Chinese companies in entering the British market.”
Still, Ming Yang expects continued growth in overseas orders from next year, especially as the fuel crunch caused by the Middle East conflict forces governments to prioritize energy security and accelerate their green transitions.
“We expect global orders to exceed 10 gigawatts this year. This figure could increase further, but faster growth might come next year because it takes time for orders to reflect the momentum,” he said.
The firm this week released its results for 2025, which showed a 91% jump in net income compared with the year before. However, its profit in the first quarter of 2026 fell by 92% on a yearly basis due to a decline in renewable power station sales, according to a company filing.
©2026 Bloomberg L.P.
