At WindEurope’s Annual Event 2024 in Bilbao, Spain’s Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge Teresa Ribera, the President of the Spanish Wind Energy Association Juan Diego Díaz today signed the ‘Spanish Wind Charter’. The Charter identifies actions to accelerate the expansion of wind energy in Spain – and to maximise its social and economic benefits.
The Charter sets out six lines of action for the development of the wind energy sector and specifies the tools to carry out these lines of action:
- More visibility and robustness in wind energy planning;
- Improved wind energy auction design, giving greater weight to account non-price criteria (as opposed to price-only auctions);
- Better coordination between wind energy companies;
- Increased predictability and the promotion of long-term agreements;
- Monitoring of international trade practices to avoid unfair competition;
- Reinforcing Spain’s wind energy manufacturing capacities.
In December 2023, 26 EU energy ministers signed the European Wind Charter, committing themselves to implement the excellent measures set out in the European Wind Power Package. Spain not only signed up to the initiative. The country was among the driving forces bringing other countries on board. Many of the 300 companies signing the European Wind Charter were Spanish companies too.
Today’s signing of the ‘Spanish Wind Charter’ underlines the commitment of the Spanish Government and its wind sector to strengthen wind energy in the country. Already today wind energy is the number one source of electricity in Spain, providing 27% of all electricity consumed in Spain.
Wind energy is the main clean technology “made in Europe”. The signing of the Wind Charter is an opportunity to modernise the Spanish economy, create jobs, position Spain as a leader in renewable energies and accelerate the energy transition – in coexistence with local communities and the environment.
Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope, during the signing of the Spanish Wind Charter said “Last year’s EU Wind Power Package was a game changer – 15 immediate actions to strengthen Europe’s wind industry and speed up the expansion of wind energy. 26 Governments then signed a European Wind Charter committing to implement the Package. It’s great that Spain is now delivering on that commitment by signing a national Wind Charter spelling out the actions the Government and industry are going to take. Good auction design, faster permitting, support for Spain’s excellent wind industry – bring it on.”
Juan Diego Díaz, President of AEE, described the timing of the signing as opportune: “The current energy situation, together with the geopolitical scenario of dependence on energy products and their value chains, justifies the adoption of emergency mechanisms under a common approach in the European Union, which will allow further progress towards the Energy Transition, while ensuring strategic autonomy based on the leadership of “cleantech” technologies in Europe, both of its actors and its critical supply chains. The signing of the Wind Energy Charter demonstrates that wind is one of the key technologies for the transition to renewable energy sources, and projects an image of Spain in the international arena as a driving force, a benchmark country with the conviction to achieve open industrial autonomy in clean technologies”.
Background on wind energy in Spain:
The wind industry in our country is a fundamental pillar for the Spanish economy. The contribution of wind energy to Spain’s GDP already amounts to 0.5%, almost €6bn a year. The Spanish wind sector provides 40,000 highly qualified jobs, wind energy-related exports exceed €2,5bn annually, placing Spain in 5th place globally. It also holds the 6th place worldwide for wind energy-related patents. The Spanish Wind Charter will play a key role in maintaining the international competitiveness of Spain’s leading wind industry.
