Europe's new energy policy welcomes a dual variation: on one hand, the UK announced the abolition of 33 import tariffs on wind power components starting April 1, which directly benefits China's wind power industry chain exports; on the other hand, the European Union officially released the draft of the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), attempting to reconstruct the clean technology supply chain by setting foreign investment thresholds and localization requirements.
Against this backdrop, the investment logic of Chinese new energy companies is undergoing profound reshaping: in the short term, the UK's wind power tax rebate brings certainty and order elasticity; in the medium term, the IAA forces companies to upgrade from &#34;product export&#34; to &#34;capacity export + technological leap&#34;; in the long term, maintaining global competitiveness hinges on &#34;irreplaceability&#34;—continuous iterative technological barriers, extreme cost advantages, and efficient delivery speed.
<h2>1. What happened? Changes in European policy</h2>
In March 2026, Europe's new energy policy welcomed a dual variation: on one hand, the UK announced the abolition of 33 import tariffs on wind turbine components starting April 1, which directly benefits China's wind power industry chain exports; on the other hand, the European Union officially released the draft of the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), attempting to reconstruct the clean technology supply chain by setting foreign investment thresholds and localization requirements.
These two policies point to a core trend—Europe is transitioning from &#34;climate leader&#34; to &#34;manufacturing sovereignty.&#34; Against this backdrop, the investment logic of Chinese new energy companies is undergoing profound reshaping: in the short term, the UK's wind power tax rebate brings certainty and order elasticity; in the medium term, the IAA forces companies to upgrade from &#34;product export&#34; to &#34;capacity export + technological leap&#34;; in the long term, maintaining global competitiveness hinges on &#34;irreplaceability&#34;—continuous iterative technological barriers, extreme cost advantages, and efficient delivery speed.
<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://wpimg-wscn.awtmt.com/329440cb-c4ac-4989-bc12-8c938f27f54d.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://wpimg-wscn.awtmt.com/329440cb-c4ac-4989-bc12-8c938f27f54d.png"/>
Starting April 1, 2026, the UK officially abolishes 33 import tariffs on wind turbine components and implements the Authorized Use System. Companies only need to prove that the imported components are specifically used for wind energy manufacturing to enjoy zero tariff treatment, with tax rates on core components such as blades and cables dropping directly from 6% and 2% to 0%. The essence of the policy is to reduce costs for UK manufacturers, support the transition to clean energy, and release £22 billion in investment to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind power in the North Sea.
At the same time, in March 2026, the European Commission officially announced the draft of the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA). The core goal of this act is to increase the manufacturing share of the EU's GDP from the current 14% to 20% by 2035, with core measures including:
<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://wpimg-wscn.awtmt.com/248c226c-c986-4855-8913-e11698c26c8b.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://wpimg-wscn.awtmt.com/248c226c-c986-4855-8913-e11698c26c8b.png"/>
Key exemption clause: If procurement costs exceed 25%, delivery delays exceed 7 months, or due to significant amounts that have a major impact on member states' economies, exemptions can be applied for. This indicates that the EU is also concerned that a &#34;one-size-fits-all&#34; policy may deter investment and exacerbate the hollowing out of the manufacturing sector. The foreign investment-related requirements in the IAA Act will be implemented 12 months after the act comes into effect, and investments that have already been made are unlikely to be retroactively affected.
<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://wpimg-wscn.awtmt.com/a3bb2b16-1600-43e7-9529-449ac89c77d2.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://wpimg-wscn.awtmt.com/a3bb2b16-1600-43e7-9529-449ac89c77d2.png"/> Considering that the legislative cycle is about 1 year, combined with the fact that supply chain origin requirements will gradually begin 1-3 years after the act comes into effect, substantial impacts are expected to start appearing from 2030. In the short term (within 1-2 years), the capacity layout and export business of Chinese enterprises in Europe will be largely unaffected.
<h2>II. Why is it important? Long-term threshold increase</h2>
Compared to the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the U.S. Buy American Act (OBBBA), the restrictions of the EU IAA Act are relatively mild:
<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://wpimg-wscn.awtmt.com/df02506d-f7e0-4305-8481-9e594d7a62cf.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://wpimg-wscn.awtmt.com/df02506d-f7e0-4305-8481-9e594d7a62cf.png"/>
More importantly, the IAA sets exemption clauses for &#34;projects with low alternatives,&#34; indicating that the EU also recognizes that overly strict localization requirements may raise costs, weaken industry competitiveness, and even affect the achievement of the EU's carbon reduction targets.
In the face of changes in European policies, Chinese enterprises need to grasp their &#34;irreplaceability,&#34; including:
<ol>
<li>
Continuously evolving technological barriers: such as CATL's Qilin battery, Shenxing battery, and BYD's blade battery;
</li>
<li>
Extreme cost advantages: The comprehensive costs of China's lithium battery industry chain are 20%-30% lower than those in Europe and the U.S.;
</li>
<li>
Efficient production and delivery speed: The factory construction cycle and capacity ramp-up speed of Chinese enterprises are significantly better than their European and American counterparts. For example, CATL's factory in Spain—groundbreaking at the end of 2025, expected to be operational by the end of 2026, with a construction cycle of only 1 year, a speed that is difficult for local European companies to achieve.
</li>
</ol>
The EU's IAA Act is not a &#34;closure,&#34; but a &#34;price increase.&#34; For Chinese new energy enterprises, &#34;irreplaceability&#34; is the ultimate remedy to cope with all policy disturbances. We expect that between 2026 and 2030, companies that can cross the IAA barriers through technological premiums will enjoy a second wave of growth dividends brought by the transformation of European energy sovereignty.
In the short term, the IAA Act emphasizes that &#34;the law does not apply retroactively,&#34; and the currently established 85.8GWh battery capacity and the 125GWh capacity under construction are likely to be regarded as &#34;existing local capacity,&#34; not subject to new foreign investment threshold restrictions. The legislative cycle of 1 year + a landing buffer period of 1-3 years means that substantial impacts will not be felt until around 2030. This provides enterprises with ample time for structural adjustments (such as establishing European R&amp;D centers and seeking local joint venture partners)
In the long run, the IAA Act is essentially a tightrope walk for the EU between &#34;climate goal progress&#34; and &#34;domestic industry protection.&#34; If the EU excessively restricts Chinese products, its climate goals for 2030/2035 will fail due to excessive costs. As long as Chinese companies maintain a technological advantage of 1-2 generations over Europe (such as 4680 large cylindrical batteries, solid-state batteries, and high power density wind turbines), they can enjoy European subsidies through &#34;alternative low&#34; exemption clauses.
<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://wpimg-wscn.awtmt.com/8074f087-f464-4883-9714-6ee96e88f7d3.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://wpimg-wscn.awtmt.com/8074f087-f464-4883-9714-6ee96e88f7d3.png"/>
<h2>III. What to focus on next? The three-tiered logical drive of China's new energy industry</h2>
① First layer: Short-term elasticity - Order catalysis brought by the UK's wind power tax rebate
The UK's wind power tax rebate policy will officially take effect on April 1, directly benefiting China's wind power industry chain.
<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://wpimg-wscn.awtmt.com/a6f43917-3566-4840-9497-45ca1c923b4d.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://wpimg-wscn.awtmt.com/a6f43917-3566-4840-9497-45ca1c923b4d.png"/>② Second layer: Medium-term growth - From &#34;product going abroad&#34; to &#34;capacity going abroad + technological leap&#34;
The essence of the IAA Act is to guide Chinese companies to choose between &#34;technology licensing&#34; and &#34;joint ventures.&#34; This means that the pure product export model faces marginal pressure, while companies that layout overseas capacity in advance and actively engage in technological cooperation will gain strategic advantages.
Comparison of three response models: <img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://wpimg-wscn.awtmt.com/d00fb585-05c5-4b2e-9278-34d25b3ef19e.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://wpimg-wscn.awtmt.com/d00fb585-05c5-4b2e-9278-34d25b3ef19e.png"/>
The systematic advantages of Chinese companies: From electrolyte materials to high-activity positive and negative electrode systems, and then to manufacturing processes and equipment capabilities, China has formed a significant lead in &#34;engineering speed&#34; and &#34;scale transformation capability.&#34; This provides a technological moat to cope with overseas policy disturbances.
③ Third layer: Long-term certainty - Rigid demand for global energy transition
Whether it is the UK's wind power tax rebate or the EU's IAA Act, the fundamental goal is to accelerate the energy transition. The global &#34;electricity shortage&#34; and the explosion of AI computing power are generating new electricity demand:
According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, by 2035, the proportion of electricity used by data centers in the U.S. will increase from 3.5% in 2024 to 8.6%. This rigid demand provides a long-term growth foundation for the new energy industry.
In summary, March 2026 marks a historic turning point for European new energy policy. The UK's wind power tax rebate provides a catalyst for short-term exports, while the EU's IAA Act delineates a new framework for medium- to long-term investment logic. The essence of this policy combination is Europe's transition from &#34;climate leader&#34; to &#34;manufacturing sovereignty.&#34;
The door to European new energy is being restructured, but the true core competitiveness will never depreciate

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The UK will abolish import tariffs on 33 wind power components starting from April 1, benefiting the export of China's wind power industry chain. At the same time, the European Union has released a draft of the Industrial Acceleration Act (IAA), setting foreign investment thresholds and localization requirements, restructuring the clean technology supply chain. This policy change prompts a reshaping of investment logic for Chinese new energy companies: in the short term, the UK's tax rebate brings order flexibility; in the medium term, the IAA Act promotes the upgrade of companies from "product export" to "capacity export + technological leap"; in the long term, the core lies in maintaining global competitiveness through "irreplaceability."

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UK Wind Power Tax Rebate and EU IAA Legislation - China's New Energy Going Abroad Under Short-term Catalysts and Long-term Restructuring