‘The future of our prosperity must be made in Europe’ – WindEurope welcomes EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s commitment to home-grown renewables as part of the agenda for her second mandate.
It’s great she’s announced a new EU Clean Competitiveness Deal. Europe’s energy intensive industries want to decarbonise. And they want to do it with the help of cheap wind energy. The wind industry is ready to make this happen – and we’re partnering with energy-intensives to help deliver the goals of the Antwerp Declaration. But it needs strong public policy support.
And it’s great that the new EU Commission is going to double down on its support for clean tech manufacturing with a new EU Competitiveness Fund. And that less red tape and faster permitting for renewables will remain priorities for the next five years.
Von der Leyen’s Commission did a lot for wind energy in her first term. The 2023 Wind Power Package was already a big step in the right direction. More support is needed now to increase the number of new wind farms to meet the EU’s 2030 targets – and to strengthen the supply chains required for that. Wind is 20% of Europe’s electricity – the EU want it to be 35% by 2030. Nearly all the wind turbines built in Europe are made in Europe. To keep that the EU needs to further strengthen its wind supply chains and relevant logistics infrastructure.
The energy transition is more than anything about the electrification of energy – in transport, buildings and industry. It’s no good that electricity is still only 23% of EU energy consumption. The new Commission needs to give a big push here. They also need to continue the push they’ve started giving the expansion and modernisation of Europe’s electricity grids. Wind energy is 20% of the electricity consumed in Europe. The EU want it to be 35% by 2030. And over half by 2050.
Wind is cheap. And the more we have of it, the less energy we need to import.
What’s more, the turbines in Europe’s wind farms are made in Europe. So it’s a strategic industry. ?It enhances our energy security and national security.
By 2030 wind energy will:
- provide?500,000 jobs in Europe, up from 300,000 today;
- save us?190?bcm?of fossil fuel?imports?each year;
- cut emissions at a rate of 262m tonnes less CO2?every year; and?
- contribute €49bn?to the EU’s GDP.
To ensure this happens the European wind industry calls on the EU to:
- Invest massively in electricity grids – With?better top-down planning and more private finance, leveraged by the European Investment Bank.
- Accelerate the permitting of renewables, grids, and industry – Implement the good new EU rules for wind energy permitting:?tighter deadlines, a one-stop-shop, overriding public interest – and all done digitally. ?
- Help heavy industry electrify – Steel, cement, and chemicals help us to build wind turbines and are central to the economy. We need to help them decarbonise – with finance,?flexible state aid and an Electrification?Action?Plan aiming for 35% electricity in the energy mix by 2030 (up from 23% today).?
- Ensure a level playing field for Europe’s clean tech manufacturing – Use all existing EU tools?to ensure fair competition in the wind turbine market.?Set clear minimum standards on cyber and data security, responsible business conduct and supply chain resilience. ?
- Focus innovation on scale-up – Too many new technologies are struggling to be deployed. We need to gear research and innovation policy to help them?industrialise and scale up. And radically simplify?and accelerate?EU funding processes.
