The Spanish wind-turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) claimed the top spot in wind equipment manufacturing in 2017.

It installed the most wind capacity last year — 9.43GW — overtaking the Danish company Vestas, which came second with 7.52GW.

SGRE (www.siemensgamesa.com) installed 26.4% more capacity in 2017 than the previous year, with Vestas’s total falling by 14%.

In third position was China-based Goldwind with 5.45GW, followed by US-based General Electric with 4.83GW. For the second year in a row, Enercon Gmbh was fifth, having installed 3.35GW of wind-power equipment last year.

Ankit Mathur at GlobalData said: “The recent merger of Gamesa and Siemens created a strong position in the industry across the onshore and offshore space.

“The competitive advantage of larger size and scale, along with good geographic diversification, provided the push that enabled it to claim the top spot.

“As a result of merger synergies, SGRE’s wide product mix, global presence and strong position in the offshore wind sector should help to safeguard its lead over its closest competitors.”