Details
💨 Fresh wind from China: Octopus Energy has partnered with Ming Yang Smart Energy. For the first time, Chinese wind turbines could be deployed in the UK.
🔧 6-gigawatt pipeline: The cooperation runs through Octopus’s Winder program, which connects communities with project developers. Up to 6 GW is planned — starting with onshore wind, later expanding to solar and battery storage.
🛡️ Safety shield: Octopus will provide its own software for control and security to guarantee cyber protection and data sovereignty. The aim is to ease political resistance.
📜 Still up in the air: So far, it’s just a memorandum of understanding. No concrete turbine orders have been placed. In Germany, a recent MYSE project was dropped in favor of Siemens Gamesa.
🏛️ Political headwinds: London is debating the risks of Chinese technology in critical infrastructure. At the same time, the EU is scrutinizing low-cost Chinese suppliers more closely. The UK government has recently revived dialogue formats with Beijing.
Big Picture
The UK urgently needs new wind power capacity but struggles with high costs. Chinese manufacturers, such as Mingyang, promise speed and lower prices, but face geopolitical skepticism.
For Octopus, the deal is a balancing act: if it can combine cost advantages, local participation, and robust cybersecurity, it could shake up competition in the European wind sector. If politics or regulation block the plan, it will remain just an attempt to bring in tailwinds from China.
The China Survival Guide for Western Businesses
Entity setup, WeChat strategy, hiring your first local team. 12+ years on the ground in Shanghai.
