This is a first signal to Chinese solar panel manufacturers, but also a message of hope for their European counterparts. Two Chinese groups suspected of having received state aid distorting competition have withdrawn from a call for tenders in Romania. The competition concerns the construction of a solar farm partially financed by European funds. However, the new regulations require companies to notify Brussels of their participation in public calls for tenders in the European Union whose estimated value exceeds 250 million euros, if they have benefited from at least 4 million euros of foreign financial subsidies in the previous three years.
Longi, the world’s leading manufacturer of photovoltaic cells, and the state-owned Shanghai Electric group, under close supervision from Beijing, were part of two separate consortiums, candidates to design, build and operate a 110 MW (megawatt) photovoltaic park in Romania. “We are investing heavily in the installation of solar panels to reduce our carbon emissions and our energy bills, but this must not come at the expense of our energy security, our industrial competitiveness and European jobs,” he said. declared Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market. Europe wants to acquire 600,000 MW of additional solar capacity by 2030.