Global wind turbine order intake reached 215 GW in 2025, the second highest ever

Global wind turbine firm order intake reached 215 (Gigawatts) GW in 2025, the second-highest annual total on record, according to the latest analysis from Wood Mackenzie. While total volume fell 8% year-on-year, largely due to a softer intake in China as developers prioritized delivery and the execution of existing backlogs, 2025 also saw a 66% surge in Chinese Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) orders across international markets.  

Chinese OEMs accelerated overseas expansion 

As the domestic Chinese market matures, leading OEMs have, for several years, looked towards overseas growth regions. In 2025, this strategy began to bear fruit, via high spec, flexible offerings supported by the low-cost Chinese manufacturing base. Firm order intake outside China rose 66% YoY in 2025 and more than tripled versus 2023 levels. 

“Leading Chinese OEMs are increasingly gaining orders in high growth markets in the Middle East, India, and Latin America, leveraging rapid 10 Megawatts+ (MW+) platform rollouts to win market share” said Finlay Clark, Principal Analyst at Wood Mackenzie. “In MEA, developers favoured early 10 MW model availability to minimise cost on GW scale projects, supporting Chinese OEMs capturing 95% of regional capacity in 2025.” This shift was punctuated by Saudi Arabia, where Goldwind secured a 3.1 GW order for two sites, the largest single turbine order ever recorded in the region. 

Chinese OEMs topped 2025 rankings, but demand outside of China set a new record 

Chinese manufacturers dominated the 2025 leaderboard, taking eight of the top ten positions as developers in China still drove around 70% of global orders despite a softer year domestically. Goldwind led the pack, followed by Envision and Windey, and domestic projects still accounted for nearly 90% of Chinese OEM intake even as overseas momentum built. 

“China awarded over 150 GW of wind orders in 2025, a strong outcome despite a 15% YoY decline from the 2024 peak,” said Yuan Ren, Senior Analyst, Power & Renewables. “Power market reforms typically slow procurement, but the new price settlement mechanism supported revenue visibility. Sustained high intake reflected resilient onshore demand and wind’s stronger capture prices versus solar.” 

Outside China, firm order intake reached a record 65 GW in 2025, lifted by a record Q4. Europe provided a meaningful upside surprise, with onshore orders rising over 60% YoY as regulatory reforms in Germany unlocked permitting, with 21 GW permitted in 2025, double the 2024 level, accelerating turbine ordering. Vestas led non-Chinese manufacturers with 16 GW, while Nordex topped European onshore intake and was awarded a record 10 GW globally. 

Policy raised cost and procurement complexity, but turbine pricing remained flat 

Turbine pricing stayed broadly flat in 2025 and remained elevated versus 2022 and 2023, even as competition stayed intense. New policy frictions added cost and complexity to procurement, with EU CBAM and expanded US tariffs lifting landed costs for steel heavy components and making surcharges and compliance clauses increasingly common. For CBAM, turbine costs could rise by low single digits, yet developers and regulators continued to push for lower pricing to protect project economics. 

"Policy measures are creating upward pressure on input costs, but project economics continue to demand lower pricing. This tension between regulatory costs and market demands could accelerate the development of new onshore turbine technologies, particularly in Europe and the US," said Clark. 

Offshore wind order intake fell 17% in 2025 as procurement slowed ahead of multiple redesigned tender frameworks in Europe. New and improved subsidy schemes are rolling out through 2026, which will support a stronger award pipeline for OEMs, such as Vestas’ recent order at the 1.4 GW Norfolk Vanguard West project, which was backed by the UK’s Auction Round 7 in January.