The Argentine government has opened an investigation into alleged dumping of steel industrial towers for wind turbines originating from China , after detecting a significant difference between their value in the Asian market and the price offered to enter the country.
The measure was formalized by Javier Milei 's administration through Resolution 218/2026 and initiated from a request submitted by GRI Calviño Towers Argentina , considering that the National Foreign Trade Commission considered that there is sufficient evidence to proceed with the procedure.
What is the stipulated percentage? An alleged dumping margin of 46.39% is estimated, which arises from comparing the comparable normal value of the product in the Chinese domestic market with its export price to Argentina.
Among the main factors are Chinese prices that are between 31% and 38% lower than local prices, tenders already awarded to foreign suppliers, and a possible increase in imports during the first half of 2026.
The damage analysis will cover 2023, 2024, 2025 and the first two months of this year, so the investigation will cover the operations carried out between March 2025 and February 2026, including the evolution of imports, prices, production, sales, capacity used, profitability and employment.
Although the agency did not identify significant current damage, it determined that there is a concrete threat to the domestic production sector . Why? In 2025, structures of Chinese origin represented barely 2% of apparent consumption , while the Argentine manufacturer recovered market share.
This behavior led to ruling out, for now, the existence of actual material damage, although it should be clarified that commercial effects do not always appear immediately in import statistics, given the timeframes between the award, manufacture and assembly of the wind turbine towers.
The report also indicates that the local industry has sufficient installed capacity to supply the domestic market . Therefore, foreign purchases are not due to a lack of domestic supply.
The opening does not yet imply the application of antidumping duties. Companies, exporters, importers, and other interested parties have 30 days from the publication of the regulation to respond to the official questionnaires and submit evidence to the competent authority.
The decision reopens a familiar debate in the renewable energy market: how far should domestic manufacturing be protected without increasing project costs or affecting the competitiveness of generation?
What did two manufacturers say about the evolution of the wind energy market in Argentina?
Francisco López Anadón , Head of Sales South America at Nordex, stated that supplier development depends mainly on market scale, so the executive recalled that local production grew during the RenovAr Program, when the continuity of awards and national content incentives gave predictability to manufacturers.
“At one point, we had a great development, or incipient development, of the local industry when there were certain incentives given in the RenovAr Program, but then when RenovAr fell, this also fell and did not develop further,” explained the Nordex representative, during the streaming event “It had to be said and it was said ,” which is being carried out by Energía Estratégica.
Watch the full episode of "It Had to Be Said and It Was Said": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFo2ge7WK34&t=3132s
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According to López Anadón, a sustained increase in demand must precede industrial expansion. Otherwise, the demands placed on components could be passed on to the final price of electricity.
“It is the volume itself that has to drive local manufacturers, not the other way around. Because otherwise, we end up penalizing energy rates in an industry that is becoming increasingly competitive,” warns López Anadón.
Nordex acknowledges, however, the capacity developed by GRI Calviño and its participation in recent projects: “ We have a strong local manufacturer of wind turbine towers, GRI Calviño, which is manufacturing for projects in the country ,” the executive points out.
The Argentine company supplied components for wind turbines for Vestas, Nordex, and Goldwind . It also participated in PCR initiatives and the latest project signed between Nordex and YPF Luz.
Vestas' position points in the same direction: it recognizes the legitimacy of the claim, but conditions local hiring on its ability to offer competitive solutions.
“ It’s a right the manufacturer has, and it’s fine for them to exercise it if they feel it’s necessary. It’s also important to understand that this is happening under a liberal government that has essentially opened up imports without any conditions or restrictions, unlike some other governments that sought to protect this sector a bit more,” said Andrés Gismondi , Country Head of Vestas Argentina, during the live stream.
“I believe that what GRI Calviño is doing is much more in line with government policy than what we as manufacturers do,” says Gismondi.
Vestas maintains that its responsibility is to reduce the generation cost of projects and offer customers a technology capable of competing within the electricity market.
“We will always be obligated to find a way, or at least work towards a way, that allows our clients to have the most competitive generation so that it is the cheapest energy for the user. To the extent that local towers can meet that, we will do it. And to the extent that they cannot, well, we won't,” Gismondi concluded.
An industrial dispute that transcends the Argentine market
The case is part of a global competition for renewable energy supply chains , marked by Chinese industrial expansion and the adoption of trade barriers in other markets.
The question that arises is whether Milei is following in the footsteps of US President Donald Trump , who months ago, during the 2026 Davos Forum, questioned the energy policy of the Asian country and stated that it sells turbines to other nations "but without using them," despite the fact that China has held the world's top spot in installed wind power capacity for 16 years and maintains the goal of achieving carbon neutrality before 2060.
The United States, in parallel, also threatened to implement tariffs and restrictions to limit the entry of Chinese energy technologies, especially in the solar industry.
Argentine research is now joining this trend, although the definition will have to consider a tension inherent to the local market: protecting national manufacturing without increasing the cost of expanding renewable capacity .
The result will be relevant for GRI Calviño, but also for wind turbine manufacturers, developers, generators and companies evaluating new investments.
With a preliminary margin of 46.39% and price differences of up to 38% , the authority will have to determine whether the observed conditions correspond to an unfair practice or to the economies of scale of the Chinese industry.