“Europe is the world leader in decarbonization and electrification. Whether the continent continues to lead or not depends on the market integration, scale, and protection of strategic industries,” said José Manuel Entrecanales, Chairman and CEO of ACCIONA, at an event in Hamburg to mark ten years since the integration of Nordex and Acciona Windpower.

Mr Entrecanales added that “it is no longer needed to promote renewable energy on the basis of climate impact. It's now the most affordable, most accessible form of energy. The Iberian Peninsula exemplifies this reality,” he said. “It is the cheapest market in Europe, where 65 million people consume more than 60% of their energy from renewable sources.”

The anniversary event brought together senior political and industry figures to reflect on the decade following the 2016 merger which created Nordex Group, now Europe’s leading onshore wind equipment manufacturer, and to discuss the sector’s role in energy security, competitiveness and industrial resilience.

José Luis Blanco, CEO of Nordex Group, pointed to the strategic logic behind the integration and the company’s performance through a volatile period for the sector. “The unification between Nordex and Acciona Windpower was a response to a market that required scale, resilience and long-term vision,” he said. “We have built a brand that competes across the world. But the playing field is not level. The European wind industry needs scale to compete globally, and a recognition of the value wind technology brings to its societies.”

In a keynote address, Robert Habeck, former Vice-Chancellor of Germany, underlined the strategic importance of wind energy in reducing dependency and safeguarding critical infrastructure, saying that “The European union needs to answer the scale question. The real competition is not between France, Spain and Germany, it's Europe vs the rest of the

world. So the question is, what areas of the economy do we really need? And in those areas we need champions.”

A central element of the anniversary program was a panel discussion with Enrico Letta, former Prime Minister of Italy and author of the Letta Report on the future of the EU Single Market, Robert Habeck and José Luis Blanco, CEO of the Nordex Group. Moderated by Tinne van der Straeten, CEO of WindEurope, the discussion focused on Europe’s competitiveness, industrial policy and the conditions required to sustain technological leadership in strategic sectors such as wind energy.

The anniversary event highlighted the broader relevance of the Nordex Group’s journey as a case study in industrial consolidation under pressure and in the strategic importance of maintaining European technology leadership in critical infrastructure.