Blade Defects at Three Gorges Wind Farm Expose Quality Risks in China’s Turbine Boom
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This maintenance crisis highlights a growing challenge for China’s renewable energy sector, where a legacy of aggressive cost-cutting and rapid installation waves is leading to premature equipment failures and safety hazards. Photo: VCG
A subsidiary of China Three Gorges Renewables (Group) Co. Ltd. (600905.SH) has identified blade defects in many turbines at a wind farm in Inner Mongolia, adding to concerns that China’s past installation rush and price wars are now surfacing as costly quality failures.
Guohong New Energy Power Generation Co. Ltd. issued a tender earlier this month, seeking contractors to address defects at its 300-megawatt wind farm in Chifeng. According to the tender document, blades on 99 of the project’s 2-megawatt turbines require comprehensive remediation.
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- A China Three Gorges Renewables subsidiary found extensive blade defects in 99 turbines at a 300 MW Inner Mongolia wind farm, prompting large-scale repairs and legal action for equipment failures.
- Many defects are linked to the 2015–2016 installation boom and price wars, with additional nacelle leakage issues posing fire and environmental risks on 107 turbines.
- Despite these challenges, major manufacturers like Ming Yang Smart Energy and Goldwind reported strong profit growth in 2025 as turbine prices rebounded.
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Who’s Who
- China Three Gorges Corporation
- The China Three Gorges Corporation is active in the renewable energy sector through its subsidiary, China Three Gorges Renewables (Group) Co. Ltd. (600905.SH). This subsidiary's wind farm in Inner Mongolia, operated by Guohong New Energy Power Generation Co. Ltd., is facing significant blade defects in many of its turbines.
- Guohong New Energy Power Generation Co. Ltd.
- Guohong New Energy Power Generation Co. Ltd. is a subsidiary of China Three Gorges Renewables (Group) Co. Ltd. This company issued a tender to repair blade defects at its 300-megawatt wind farm in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia. The project involves comprehensive remediation for 99 turbines, seeking legal counsel for quality disputes.
- Beijing Jingcheng Machinery Electric Co. Ltd.
- Beijing Jingcheng Machinery Electric Co. Ltd. (600860.SH) is a turbine supplier. Its renewable energy unit provided 25 of the 150 turbines at the Chifeng wind farm in Inner Mongolia. 25 of its turbines at the Chifeng site suffered from leakage, leading to fire and environmental risks.
- Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Ltd.
- Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Ltd. supplied 25 of the 150 turbines at the Chifeng wind farm, which are now undergoing remediation due to blade defects. Despite these issues, the company forecasts a significant increase in net profit for 2025, ranging from 800 million to 1 billion yuan, indicating a positive financial outlook despite industry-wide quality concerns.
- China Guodian Corp.
- China Guodian Corp. was the parent company of United Power before merging into China Energy Investment Corp. Ltd. (CHN Energy). United Power, a manufacturer of wind turbines, is currently struggling financially, with CHN Energy planning to transfer its equity in the loss-making subsidiary.
- China Energy Investment Corp. Ltd.
- China Energy Investment Corp. Ltd., or CHN Energy, is the former parent company of United Power. A subsidiary of CHN Energy announced plans to divest its equity in the struggling wind turbine manufacturer, United Power, for a symbolic 1 yuan.
- Goldwind Science & Technology Co. Ltd.
- Goldwind Science & Technology Co. Ltd. (002202.SZ) reported a 44% increase in net profit, reaching 2.6 billion yuan for the first three quarters of 2025. This indicates a stabilizing financial outlook for major wind turbine manufacturers despite ongoing quality issues within the industry.
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What Happened When
- 2015–2016：
- Many of the wind turbines with current defects were commissioned during this wind installation boom.
- September 2016：
- The Chifeng wind farm reached full capacity.
- After 2020：
- The sector moved toward grid parity, intensifying competition and accelerating the deployment of 'PPT wind turbines.'
- Q4 2024：
- Bidding prices for turbines began to recover.
- By May 2025：
- The Chifeng wind farm operated 150 turbines in total: 100 from United Power, 25 from Beijing Jingcheng Machinery Electric, and 25 from Ming Yang Smart Energy.
- May 2025：
- A tender for tower cleaning revealed leakage issues in 82 United Power turbines and 25 Jingcheng turbines.
- November 2025：
- A subsidiary of CHN Energy announced plans to transfer its equity in United Power for a symbolic 1 yuan.
- Late January 2026：
- Qin Haiyan discussed the erosion of safety baselines due to price wars at an industry gathering.
- February 2026：
- Guohong New Energy Power Generation Co. Ltd. issued a repair tender for blade defects at its 300 MW wind farm in Chifeng.
- Feb. 5, 2026：
- Guohong New Energy issued a separate procurement notice for legal services to handle litigation regarding blade defects.
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