For some time now, the European Union has been taking measures to restrict the use of components imported from China in green energy. These measures are also to apply to wind turbines, without which, of course, it is impossible to build a wind power plant. Does this make the use of Chinese components risky?
Chinese wind turbines – announcements from the European Commission.
In line with recent announcements by the EU Competition Commissioner, the European Commission wants to investigate subsidies that Chinese wind turbine suppliers have received in connection with the development of wind farms in Spain, Greece, France, Romania and Bulgaria. The announcement is part of a broader effort by EU authorities to regulate trade with China in the area of RES in greater detail, and to safeguard the EU market from an influx of cheap components from the Middle Kingdom, which sometimes do not meet appropriate technological standards.
What does the European wind energy package contain?
The indicated announcements are part of the implementation – signed last December – of the European Wind Energy Charter, in which the Union committed to improving the competitiveness of European green technology suppliers. As part of the Charter, both EU bodies and individual member states have committed to implementing appropriate measures regarding permits, auctions and financing, which will effectively safeguard the common market against sometimes unfair competition from companies operating outside its framework, including, among others, China. It is worth noting that the assumptions are to recognize the green energy sector as a strategic sector for EU security, which in turn means the need for truly in-depth verification of non-EU entities that offer to supply their goods and services to the RES market.
This does not mean the need to reject technologies produced in China. There is no reason to assume in advance that they do not meet high standards. However, it is always necessary to do a solid verification of the supplier before making a purchase – especially of wind turbines or photovoltaic panels. Without this, it may turn out that the purchased goods – and, after all, RES technologies are really advanced – will simply not meet our expectations, and problems with their use may arise very quickly.