Market-based principles key to local wind energy growth

GWEC emphasised that there is no need for restrictive policies for localisation.

Governments and the wind energy industry were urged to develop market-friendly principles to promote the localisation of supply chain, Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) said.

"Successful localisation is not about closing markets but about opening opportunities," said GWEC Chief Industry Officer Stewart Mullin.

"Local manufacturing capabilities will thrive when countries align industrial, energy, and infrastructure policies to create predictable, investable environments,” he added.

According to GWEC’s “An Industry Perspective on Localization: Pro-business Measures to Drive Local Industrial” report, flexible and market-friendly policies can drive economic growth and energy transition goals. Otherwise, it risks reducing international investment, raising costs, and slowing wind power deployment.

Mullin argued supply chain localisation enhances resilience but cautioned against strict local content rules and tariffs, citing potential cost increases and harm to competition.

The GWEC report identified seven key principles that set the industry’s preferred strategic framework to build local capabilities. These include harnessing the benefits of international competition, ensuring policy coherence across domains and governance levels, and focusing on establishing continuity and predictability of the market to name a few.

“With wind power deployment expected to accelerate this decade, getting localisation right is crucial for both long-term energy security and economic prosperity,” GWEC said.