The Danish climate and energy ministry said that the country will be seeking a common EU strategy to combat the increased Chinese competition on the European wind market. This was ahead of a Thursday meeting with EU Commission officials and leaders in the industry.

In Europe, the market for wind turbines is dominated by the local manufacturers Vestas Gamesa and Siemens Gamesa. However, Chinese turbine makers are gaining momentum in recent years, which has led to concerns in the EU industry about its existence.

Lars Aagaard, Denmark's Energy and Climate Minister, said: "As a Danish Minister, I am concerned that European manufacturers may be outperformed unfairly by state aid."

He spoke ahead of a discussion between energy ministers in North Sea countries, EU Commission and leaders from the industry about the challenges they face to meet their ambitious goals.

Aagaard, in reference to the increased competition from China, said: "It is important that we find some common European solutions, as it will be a challenge which will be difficult to manage on a national scale."

In April, the EU announced that it would investigate subsidies given to Chinese wind turbine suppliers destined for Europe. This move was intended to protect domestic firms against cheap clean technology products.

The North Sea countries committed to building 120 GW offshore wind by 2030, and at least $300 GW offshore wind in the North Sea before 2050. This is equivalent to around 20,000 off-shore wind turbines.

WindEurope, a trade group representing the industry, reports that Europe has installed 35 GW of offshore capacity.

Aagaard acknowledged that it is good to set "ambitious goals as a guide" but also noted that these targets were established at a period when offshore wind costs were lower. (Reporting and editing by Jacob GronholtPedersen, Stine Jacobsen)

(source: Reuters)