GreenergyDaily

Aug. 26, 2025

A German offshore wind project that came under fire for choosing Chinese turbines to power its North Sea site is looking at canceling the controversial order, Bloomberg reported.

The project's Hamburg-based developer Luxcara GmbH wants to replace the order from Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Ltd. with a reservation for 19 turbines from German-Spanish producer Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA, managing director Holger Matthiesen said.

The original deal prompted scrutiny from the German government and warnings from Europe's wind industry amid concerns about national security and unfair competition. A study released by Germany's defense ministry earlier this year argued China could use critical components from Luxcara's wind farm to spy or even conduct economic warfare.

So far, only one wind farm in Europe uses turbines from China — the Taranto project in Italy — the study said. Germany's regulator recently presented new rules that include tighter controls over critical infrastructure.

"We felt the pressure and also the public controversy," said Matthiesen. "But that had no influence on our decision, which is based solely on the synergy effects and the superior offer."

While Ming Yang's offer had been the most economical one when it was picked in 2024, Matthiesen said other offers have improved since then. Since Luxcara selected Siemens Gamesa to supply its nearby 1.5-gigawatt Waterekke project, the synergies of choosing the same supplier for the smaller Waterkant project also improved.

"What has helped is that the contract terms and risk allocations between customer and supplier have been somewhat rebalanced," said Matthiesen, who manages both offshore projects. He said Luxcara acknowledged the safety concerns regarding the Chinese turbines, but was convinced they could have been resolved.

While the company already informed the economy ministry and the approval authorities of its plan to back away from the Chinese turbines, the capacity reservation agreement with Siemens Gamesa is not yet a final decision and needs to be followed by a formal contract.