British power gensets outsell all other nations when it comes to official export figures, according to the Association of Manufacturers of Power Generating Systems (AMPS).
The UK has 19% of the electric generator export market – more than China, the nearest rival – and shipped equipment worth £1.29bn ($2bn) worldwide in 2012, according to trade figures compiled by PowerGen Statistics and government authorities. The majority of this figure comes from sales of diesel gensets with outputs between 75 kVA and 2000 kVA (£870m).
The Middle East and North Africa imports the largest number globally (29.1%), with countries such as the Saudi Arabia (£108.7 million), UAE (£104.1 million) and Nigeria (£88.2 million) all providing lucrative markets.
Robert Beebee, chairman of AMPS, said: “Britain’s reputation for quality generating sets – going all the way back to days of the Empire – is second to none. We retain a firm grip on the market, and people, where possible, still like to buy British.
“British generating sets will continue to find applications all over the world. Although Britain can’t compete with China on price alone, by focusing on what we excel at – niche and specialist markets, high value areas and complex specialist solutions – I’m confident we can remain the world leaders.”
