October 21, 2020
Europe

Concern expressed over wind tower dumping

By Matthew Moggridge | Published 21st October, 2020 | www.steeltimesint.com

The European Commission has today initiated an investigation into the dumping of wind towers on the EU market from China. Wind towers – used to make renewable electricity – are principally built using steel, and the opening of this investigation shows that steel-using sectors also need adequate trade remedies.

“EUROFER welcomes the Commission’s initiation of an anti-dumping investigation into the conditions of imports of Chinese wind towers into the EU”, said Axel Eggert, director general of the European Steel Association (EUROFER). “Global steel trade distortions jeopardise entire EU value chains and hundreds of thousands of jobs in Europe. Europe needs to wake up and take trade defence enforcement to a higher level before it is too late”.

Many types of steel from China are already subject to anti-dumping measures, including on the heavy plate and electrical steels used to build wind towers with dumping margins found to be up to 54.9% and 127.6% respectively in each case.

“The European wind tower industry is a key user of plate and electrical steels and is an important component of Europe’s renewable energy plans. Our ability to construct our own renewable energy facilities – such as those generated by wind power – is central to Europe’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2050, in line with the EU’s Green Deal”, emphasised Mr Eggert.

“Maintaining and developing the steel-based industrial value chain in Europe is key to both the survival and sustainability of the European steel industry, but also of the sectors downstream of it,” added Mr Eggert. “Our value chain is based on a sustainable business model based on free and fair competition. We must not allow our economic, social and environmental values to be undermined by third countries that do not respect these fundamental principles”.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2020/10/21/concern-expressed-over-wind-tower-dumping/