As Chinese wind turbine OEMs rise strongly across the global market, Europe’s wind power sector is brewing an Airbus-style mega industry consolidation. The management and major shareholder of German turbine maker Nordex have publicly voiced support for a merger with European peers including Vestas, Siemens Gamesa and Enercon. They argue that only through consolidation can European players counter the scale advantage of Chinese manufacturers and secure their position both domestically and globally.
Wood Mackenzie’s 2025 global ranking of the world’s top 15 wind turbine OEMs shows Chinese companies taking the top six spots, with leaders such as Goldwind and Envision firmly in the global first tier. By contrast, Europe’s four major turbine makers rank much lower: Vestas 7th, Nordex 10th, Siemens Gamesa 12th and Enercon 14th. The market share gap with top Chinese players keeps widening, leaving European manufacturers under mounting competitive pressure if they operate alone.
At Nordex’s annual general meeting on 5 May 2026, CEO José Luis Blanco stated plainly that Europe’s wind industry must consolidate, or risk losing market leadership. He stressed that scale is the key to competing with Chinese rivals. Citing aviation giant Airbus as a model, he called for European wind firms to integrate capacity, cut costs and rebuild global competitiveness. As Europe’s second-largest wind turbine OEM, Nordex’s stance sends a clear signal for industry consolidation. Blanco did not rule out potential mergers and acquisitions with competitors, while emphasising that such ideas remain hypothetical at this stage with no concrete progress yet.
Nordex’s push for consolidation has gained backing from its key shareholder. José Manuel Entrecanales, Chairman of Spanish energy group Acciona — which holds a 47% stake in Nordex — said Acciona would vote in favour of a merger with industry peers on condition of reasonable valuation, compliance and regulatory approval. He also noted that building an Airbus-sized champion in wind power would require in-depth consolidation of at least five European companies.
Despite growing momentum for consolidation, the creation of a European wind superplayer still faces major hurdles. Industry analysts point out that Europe’s strict antitrust regulation represents the biggest uncertainty. Large-scale mergers would inevitably trigger rigorous antitrust reviews, leaving the final approval outcome far from certain.
