European Commission has presented ‘European Wind Power Action Plan’ to achieve its target of 42.5% renewable energy by 2030
The European Commission has presented ‘European Wind Power Action Plan’, as it steps up actions to realise its target of having at least 42.5% renewable energy by 2030, with an ambition to reach 45% renewables.
The ‘European Wind Power Action Plan’ will ensure that the clean energy transition goes hand-in-hand with industrial competitiveness and that wind power continues to be a European success story.
This would require a massive increase in wind installed capacity, with an expected growth from 204 GW in 2022 to more than 500 GW in 2030. The future expansion is faced with a unique set of challenges, including insufficient and uncertain demand, slow and complex permitting, lack of access to raw materials, high inflation and commodity prices, unsupportive design of national tenders, and increased pressure from international competitors and risks on availability of a skilled workforce.
The Action Plan will help to maintain a healthy and competitive wind energy supply chain, with a clear and secure pipeline of projects, attracting the necessary financing and competing on a level playing field globally.
Taking it to X (formerly Twitter), the European Commission tweeted,
Harnessing the power of the wind.
— European Commission (@EU_Commission) October 24, 2023
Today, we propose a Wind Power Action Plan to ensure that the clean energy transition goes hand-in-hand with industrial competitiveness.
Wind power must continue to be a European success story.
Here is why it matters ↓
It further tweeted,
The Wind Power Action Plan will:
— European Commission (@EU_Commission) October 24, 2023
→ accelerate permitting procedure and deployment of wind power
→ help the industry access finance
→ ensure a fair international environment for our companies
→ train skilled workers pic.twitter.com/8jIYmJSWKt
Meanwhile, a record 16 GW of wind power installations were added in 2022, which is a 47% increase compared to 2021. This is, however well below the 37 GW/year required to achieve the European Union (E.U.) 2030 target for renewable energy. The European Commission is launching the “Accele-RES” initiative with Member States to ensure swift implementation of the revised E.U. renewable energy rules, putting more focus on the digitalisation of permitting processes and technical assistance to Member States. In addition, Member States are encouraged to enhance the visibility of the project pipeline through wind pledges, transparent auction schedules, and long-term planning.
Building on the proposed Net-Zero Industry Act and the reform of the Electricity Market Design, the European Commission will support Member States in improving auctions with well-designed and objective criteria that reward higher value-added equipment and ensure that projects are realised fully and on time. To speed up investment and financing for wind energy manufacturing in Europe, the European Commission will facilitate access to E.U. financing, notably through the Innovation Fund. At the same time, the European Investment Bank (EIB) will make de-risking guarantees available.
To ensure that the wind sector can operate on a level playing field, the European Commission will closely monitor possible unfair trade practices that benefit foreign wind manufacturers and will continue to use trade agreements to facilitate access to foreign markets while promoting the adoption of E.U. and international standards for the sector.
The European Commission will also facilitate the launch of European net-zero industry skills academies – including one dedicated to the wind sector, designed to support Member States actions to upskill and reskill workers. It will work with Member States and the wind industry on an E.U. Wind Charter to improve the enabling conditions for the European wind industry to remain competitive.
Separately, offshore wind is expected to significantly contribute to the E.U.’s climate and energy goals in the years ahead. In 2022, the cumulative E.U.-27 offshore installed capacity amounted to 16.3 GW. This means that to bridge the gap between the 111 GW committed by the Member States and the 2022 capacity, the E.U. must install almost 12 GW/year on average, which is 10 times more than the new 1.2 GW installed last year.
