China's wind power sector has reached a historic milestone, propelling domestic manufacturers to the forefront of the global energy transition, according to a recently released report.

For the first time, Chinese turbine makers have swept the top six positions in global market share rankings, as the nation became the world's first market to add more than 100 gigawatts of wind capacity in a single year, according to industry consultancy BloombergNEF.

According to its recently released Global Wind Turbine Market Shares 2025 report, global wind capacity additions hit an all-time high of 169 GW last year. This 38 percent year-on-year surge was largely underpinned by a booming onshore sector in China.

Thanks to stable long-term policy support, wind installations over the past decade have become increasingly concentrated in China, said Cristian Dinca, wind associate at BloombergNEF and lead author of the report.

"Chinese manufacturers consistently top the global rankings and they benefited particularly in 2025," Dinca said.

China has increased its national targets for wind power installations, aiming for 1.3 terawatts by 2030 and an ambitious 5 TW by 2060, a move hailed by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) as critical for global climate efforts.

China's rapid wind power development has consistently surpassed previous expectations, while the country's ambitious targets instill optimism that the world can meet its broader climate goals, said Ben Backwell, CEO of the GWEC.

Industry experts believe the expansion comes as the world's largest energy consumer greatly increased its renewable capacity while reinforcing domestic energy security.

China's investment in key energy projects surged to a record 3.5 trillion yuan ($505 billion) in 2025, while a significant portion of China's renewable energy growth was driven by onshore wind projects, according to the National Energy Administration.

Private capital has remained particularly active in wind power, the NEA said.

According to the administration, China's newly installed solar and wind power capacity exceeded 430 million kilowatts in 2025, a record high that has propelled the cumulative grid-connected capacity of wind and solar power to 1.84 billion kilowatts, surpassing thermal power for the first time.

According to the report, Chinese wind turbine giant Goldwind Science and Technology Co Ltd maintained its position as the world's leading wind turbine supplier, installing 29.3 GW in 2025, followed by green technology company Envision Energy with 20.9 GW, almost a quarter of which was outside China.

While the Chinese market remains the primary engine for these manufacturers, 2025 marked a strategic pivot toward international markets. The share of non-domestic installations for Chinese players rose to 7 percent, up from just 1 percent in 2024, signaling that the industry's export push is yielding results, according to the BloombergNEF report.

"This moment marks the emergence of Chinese manufacturers as true global players, as their commissioned capacity abroad has increased eightfold over the last year," said Oliver Metcalfe, head of wind research at BloombergNEF.

"Challenged by razor-thin margins at home, Chinese suppliers are leveraging lower-cost production and fast delivery to enter new markets."

Envision led this international charge, with nearly a quarter of its commissioned capacity located outside China.

This expansion comes at a time of significant reorganization for Western rivals. Danish giant Vestas, despite being the largest supplier outside China, slipped to seventh place overall, the first time it has fallen out of the top five since 2013.

Outside of China, the global market grew by 17 percent to reach 43 GW. In a notable shift, India overtook both the United States and Germany to become the largest wind market outside China.

Looking ahead, BloombergNEF expects a rebound in the offshore sector in 2026 as delayed projects in the North Sea and Asia come online.

For Chinese manufacturers, the focus remains on maintaining domestic momentum while scaling up their "green petroleum" technology to meet rising demand across the Global South, it said.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn