Nordex CEO 'sticking to US factory plans' despite Trump uncertainty
Plan to revive Iowa wind turbine nacelle factory was taken with a long-term market view, José Luis Blanco tells Recharge
“Most onshore wind installations in the US occur on private land. We will see if and how there is a significant impact,” Blanco said in an interview.
“However, the requirements might now become stricter, and the permitting process could take longer. We continue to be in the market and are continuing with our discussions with customers.
“We stick to our plans to produce wind turbines in the US and to create jobs in our plant in Iowa. The first turbines will be produced this year.”
Wind power could also suffer from trade tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China that Trump has threatened, as well as on aluminium, all of which are likely to increase costs for components.
Asked how much more expensive this would make Nordex turbines produced in the US, Blanco said: “It is too early to evaluate the potential impact on any kind of these announced activities, as of now.”
“In the region EMEA, we remain number one for the third time in a row,” Blanco said.
“In the Americas, we have been able to improve our market share mainly driven by the Canadian orders, globally Nordex remains the third largest onshore player worldwide in terms of order intake excluding China. And we hope to improve our position further.”
Despite “some noise and uncertainties in some countries”, industry forecasts predict markets to grow in the short and medium term, he stressed, adding the company expected its order intake this year to come in better than in 2024, which was already a record.
German dynamic
Asked what the next German government should do, Blanco stressed the crucial need for planning reliability and clear framework conditions.
“A dynamic market is important for this, such as the recent resumption of wind energy in Germany in the last years,” he said.
“We would like to see the new German government push with the sector for energy independence, but also to ensure technology know-how and industrial knowledge stays in Germany.
The coalition parties (Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU and the Social Democrats) acknowledge the importance of wind for Germany’s energy transition and the current Renewable Energies Act (EEG) runs until the end of 2026, so the government has time to plan and possibly set up a new system for renewables remuneration, Blanco reckoned.
Optimism about Australia despite blade incident
The CEO said that next to a leading market position in Europe, the company expects “decent volume on the back of our position in Canada, some traction in the US and in Latin American markets,” he said.
“In addition, we also continue to remain optimistic about markets like Australia.”
Both local Nordex Australia employees and experts from the Nordex Group continue to investigate the root cause of the incident, Blanco said, working closely with the customer and other relevant parties to conduct a thorough analysis.
“No reliable statement can be made yet as to the underlying cause but it looks like a one-off. The commissioning of the rest of the big wind farm continues normally.”
Sales seem to be going well.
“An order intake of currently 112 units stands for good market demand, while these were all received before the first installation was completed now. We expect further orders from Germany and the Nordics in the next months.”
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