Anniversary Newsletter Edition #5:“We’ve got the power” – “Together on the same course”

16. May 2025

Understanding where we are headed begins with knowing where we have come from. The Nordex Group of today was shaped by the pioneering work in harnessing wind power from its two main roots: in Northern Europe with Nordex in Denmark and Germany and in Southern Europe with Acciona Windpower in Spain. Today we look back on the years after the turn of the millennium – from the beginning of 2000 to 2016 – a true roller coaster ride for the wind industry.

After the turn of the millennium, a new era of rapid development swept through the industry. Wind turbine manufacturers entered a global race for innovation. New players emerged, others disappeared, companies merged, and technological breakthroughs reshaped the landscape. Markets opened, markets closed – for everyone, it was a rollercoaster era for the whole industry, a period of intense change. The global wind industry encountered both headwinds and tailwinds in the early years of the 21st century.

Briefly before the turn of the millennium, the German company Südwind Energiesysteme went insolvent and parts of it were acquired, later rebranded as Südwind Energy, obtaining a license for a 1.5 MW pitch turbine (S70/S77 series). In 2000, Südwind became part of the former Nordex companies. The S70/S77 were later Nordex’s bestsellers for many years.

It was 25 years ago, in the year 2000, when Nordex entered a new market by opening an office in the United States. At the same time, Acciona – who today is the Nordex Group’s main shareholder – entered the wind business for the first time and installed the AW60 prototype with 1.3 MW in Navarre, Spain. A spirit of optimism and enthusiasm to make a meaningful contribution to a cleaner world was in the air.

A year later, in April 2001, Nordex went public on the German stock exchange. To accelerate its international growth subsidiaries were established in the UK, France as well as in Italy. A glimpse into Nordex’s self-perception at the time can be seen in the 2001 corporate movie:

The company’s registered office moved from Rostock to Norderstedt near Hamburg, where the management board was based. At the same time, the company became Nordex AG. The first logotype at that time was:

For the young Nordex AG, the slogan We’ve got the power referred to the electricity produced by Nordex’s wind turbines. However, challenging years lay ahead, with headwinds buffeting the global wind industry. Over the time, We’ve got the power also came to symbolize the strength and resilience that #TeamNordex demonstrated in navigating tough times.

In 2002, the US market weakened due to delays in renewing the Production Tax Credit (PTC) system. No other market epitomized boom-and-bust cycles of wind energy quite like the US. But it was not just the US – other markets also faced difficulties. In 2003, for the first time since going public, Nordex reported a substantial financial loss. This caused concern in the market, leading to a drastic 70 percent decline in new business. As a result, Nordex had to reduce its workforce and down its operations in Give, Denmark, and the United States. A comprehensive restructuring plan was put into action.

Yet the market became increasingly challenging. In Germany, the amended Renewable Energies Act led to caution among banks in providing project financing, while in the US, the PTC system seemed on the verge of expiration. In 2003, Nordex’s sales plummeted by more than half. At 690 employees its headcount dropped in the next months to the lowest level since stock-market flotation.

Nordex was not the only OEM facing a crisis – our competitors were also experiencing turmoil. In Denmark, several manufacturers merged or were acquired, while an American manufacturer and its parent company had become insolvent earlier.

Then, in 2004, the wind industry began to pick up again, particularly in Germany and the US. Nordex’s restructuring efforts started to show the desired results: #TeamNordex’s commitment to the company’s turn-around was evident, with all employees even voluntarily waiving part of their salaries to support their company.

During that time, in Spain, Acciona’s subsidiary Acciona Windpower was founded, and the AW1500 turbine was launched and installed for the first time in Spain. This was followed by installations in France, Greece, the UK, South Korea, South Africa, Australia and Latin America. Later, Acciona Windpower installed its first wind turbine on a full concrete tower laying the foundation for Nordex Group’s expertise in concrete towers today.

New products to successfully compete in an increasingly challenging global market
Ten years after the turn of the millennium, the new decade saw an accelerated pace of development: The intensifying global competition among manufacturers, increasing price pressure and the rapid growth of wind power worldwide led to faster innovation cycles.

In response to this development, Nordex introduced the Gamma Generation. In 2011, the first N117/2400 turbine rolled off the production line. The N117/2400 was seen as a game changer in the wind industry, in particular for light wind sites. Instead of focusing solely on highest installed capacity, the key innovation was the combination of a 117-meter rotor diameter and an installed nominal power of 2.4 MW. Sales surged and Nordex experienced growth again, embracing its internal slogan “big enough to deliver and small enough to care”.

At that time, Nordex also started its first activities in the offshore market among others by offering a N150/6000 turbine with 6 MW installed capacity. But the capital-intensive business with offshore wind turbines gave Nordex some headaches, so the company said goodbye to this segment completely in 2012.

During the same period Acciona Windpower began series production of full concrete towers and installed several turbine types with rotor diameters ranging from 100 up to 116 meters – each already with a 3 MW capacity!

Turbines built by Nordex and Acciona Windpower became an increasingly familiar sight across all continents – from Europe to the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Africa.

In 2013, Nordex launched a new onshore turbine generation: the Delta generation with the N131 turbine type. Both the N117 and N131 models were awarded gold medals as “Turbine of the Year” by “Windpower Monthly” at the time.

The advertising campaign for the two turbine models

Together on the same course: stronger and bigger as one company
Just as Nordex was founded in the spring of 1985, it was also in spring, now in 2016, that Nordex and Acciona Windpower joined forces, embarking on the journey with the slogan “together on the same course” as one stronger, bigger company. This marked the birth of the “new” Nordex Group, as we know it today. The markets and products of both companies were largely complementary – a perfect match.

The mission was clear: to reduce the cost of electricity generation and make wind power even more profitable. These goals were even more pressing at the time, as both companies, individually, were not large enough to survive and to compete with other international players. The rationale behind the merger was simple: to advance toward becoming one of the world’s leading producers of wind turbines – a truly global player.

In 2016, a new world player entered the stage – together on the same course:

At present, the Nordex Group boasts a global production footprint with over 10,000 employees. Throughout our history, we have installed more than 57 GW of onshore wind power capacity across more than 40 markets. Today, Nordex successfully transitioned into a phase of profitable growth, strengthening both its operational and financial performance. With strong demand across key global markets, we have become the second largest onshore player worldwide in terms of order intake, excluding China.

The Nordex Group extends its heartfelt gratitude to all current and former colleagues, customers, suppliers and friends who have contributed to 40 years of growth and innovation.