When the sea breeze of the North Sea brushes over the coast of Port Arthur in Scotland, a "cross sea adventure" that concerns the global wind power industry landscape has begun. On October 12, 2025, Chinese wind power giant Mingyang Intelligent officially announced its plan to invest £ 1.5 billion (approximately RMB 14.2 billion) to build the UK's first full industry chain wind power manufacturing base in Scotland. This investment, from exporting a single device to rooting in the entire industry chain, is not only a strategic leap for the company itself, but also marks a new stage of "industry rooting 2.0" for China's wind power globalization. For Mingyang Intelligent, with a total market value of approximately 38.2 billion yuan, this huge investment, equivalent to nearly half of the company's market value, is not only a decisive layout for the high-end European market, but also a strategic gamble related to the industry's position.

Triple Logic: Why Anchor Scotland

Mingyang Intelligent's cross sea landing is not a momentary impulse, but a precise coupling of market demand, technological advantages, and policy opportunities. From a market perspective, offshore wind power in Europe is experiencing explosive growth. As the largest offshore wind power market in Europe, the UK will add 1.2GW of installed capacity in 2024 and has explicitly stated in the 2030 Clean Power Action Plan to raise its offshore wind power installation target to 43-50GW. Currently, only about 15GW has been achieved, and the incremental space of over 30GW in the next five years provides a definite opportunity for foreign-funded enterprises. If there is a lack of external new manufacturing capacity, the UK's clean energy targets are almost impossible to achieve, creating an irreplaceable market opportunity for Mingyang Intelligent.

The differentiation advantage in technology has become the core confidence. Admiralty Port in Scotland is adjacent to the North Sea wind farm cluster, which is not only a core hub for floating wind power planned by the UK, but also has natural port conditions for large-scale equipment transportation. The North Sea region is also an ideal testing ground for global floating offshore wind power. Mingyang Intelligent's 18.8MW floating wind turbine has formed a technological advantage, and this layout can accelerate the commercialization process of this technology, breaking the monopoly pattern of Siemens Gamesa and MHI Vestas occupying more than 70% of the global floating wind power market share.

The support of policy dividends has cleared key obstacles for project implementation. The UK government has simplified the environmental approval process for 13 key projects to accelerate the development of offshore wind power, allowing for the balance of ecological impact through the replacement of marine protected areas. At the same time, the green finance tool of the Scottish National Investment Bank also provides low interest loan support for the projects. Multiple policy benefits have given this cross sea investment a more solid foundation for implementation.

Three level jump layout: building barriers across the entire industry chain

According to the plan, Mingyang Intelligent's Scottish base will steadily advance in three phases, building a full chain manufacturing capability from core components to system integration. The first phase will construct a wind turbine nacelle and blade manufacturing plant, with the first batch expected to be put into operation by the end of 2028; The second phase will expand the production line and focus on the large-scale production of floating wind power technology; The third phase will further extend to the manufacturing of key components such as control systems and electronic equipment, ultimately forming an offshore wind power industry center that serves the UK, radiates to Europe, and other non Asian markets.

This full industry chain layout, from basic components to core systems, not only accurately responds to the policy requirements of "supply chain localization" in the UK, but also builds difficult to replicate competitive barriers. Previously, the overseas expansion of Chinese wind power companies was mostly limited to equipment export or assembly, with core components relying on domestic supply. Against the backdrop of increasingly strict European policies such as carbon tariffs and supply chain reviews, they often missed bidding opportunities due to insufficient localization rates. Mingyang Intelligent's innovative model will achieve a deep integration of "technical standard output+localized manufacturing+supply chain collaboration", providing a new model for Chinese new energy enterprises to go global.

The strategic value of the project has begun to emerge: after completion, it is expected to create 1500 direct employment opportunities, and may add 1500 related employment opportunities in the later stage, while filling the gap in the UK's domestic floating wind power industry chain and helping it achieve its strategic goal of becoming a "clean power superpower". The high alignment between the development of such enterprises and national strategies has also brought new growth points to energy cooperation between China and the UK.

Mingyang Intelligent's 14.2 billion yuan adventure is essentially a key experiment in the transformation of China's wind power industry from a "manufacturing power" to an "industrial powerhouse". According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance data, Mingyang Intelligent ranks fourth in the global wind turbine market in 2024 with a newly installed capacity of 12.2 GW. Its operating revenue in the first half of 2025 increased by 45.33% year-on-year, and its solid performance and technological accumulation provide confidence for this global breakthrough.Editor/Bian Wenju