Energize Weekly, June 5, 2019
Global wind-turbine orders were up 7 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2019, an 875-megawatt (MW) increase—breaking the record set in the first quarter of 2018, according to Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables.
The Wood Mackenzie market report found that strong orders from China and the Americas more than offset a nearly 20 percent decrease from 2018 in orders from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Russia and the Caspian nations.
China, Latin America and North America collectively ordered a total of 3.1 gigawatts (GW) more than they did in the first quarter of 2018.
Offshore wind capacity orders in China soared 66 percent, with 1.7 GW of firm orders in the first quarter of 2019.
“Five Chinese OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] each won 300 MW+ of offshore orders in China as pressure mounts to comply with provincial grid-connection targets in China for offshore,” Luke Lewandowski, Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables director, said in a statement. “This resulted in Chinese OEMs accounting for 77 percent of all offshore capacity ordered globally.”
Orders from wind developers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa were down by 2 GW year-on-year. The orders from these regions were “impacted by regulatory transitions,” Wood Mackenzie said.
In Europe, offshore new capacity consisted primarily of one 487-MW project in Belgium.
Orders for turbines in the 4-MW to 4.99-MW segment increased for the fourth consecutive quarter with more than 500 MW of capacity orders in the U.S, China and Brazil.
“Vestas won the largest share of orders for the fourth straight quarter, continuing its success in multiple rating segments,” Lewandowski said.
Vestas booked more than 500 MW of orders in North America, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific and was the only turbine manufacturer to have to models in the top 10 ranking for offshore turbines, other than CRRC in China.
“Vestas was the only Western OEM in the top 5 in Q1 in APAC [Asia-Pacific region], recording the most geographically diverse intake with orders for projects in six countries,” added Mr. Lewandowski.
Five Chinese manufacturers were ranked in the top 10 for global orders of new capacity in the first quarter of 2019, benefiting from increasing demand in China’s offshore wind sector.
