Towering tariffs on the horizon

A tumultuous 2020 awaits the US wind energy market as record installations of more than 13GW push the wind industry’s value chain to the limit. Already reeling from the Trump administration’s levy of a multi-country tariff on steel and three rounds of tariffs on imports from China, wind turbine OEMs must now prepare for new anti-dumping and countervailing duties on imported towers from a host of nations. The timing of the Wind Tower Trade Coalition’s (WTTC) actions are problematic, to say the least, and will negatively impact the cost position of new unit installs in 2020 and beyond. Price pressure exists throughout the value chain already, but turbine OEMs are expected to bear the financial burden of the latest salvo in the ongoing trade war.

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