Newsarchive - WindEurope

WindEurope - WindEurope

Wind Industry Profile of

WindEurope

Newsarchive - WindEurope 1

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Europe puts fast permitting of renewables at the heart of its energy security plan

05/19/2022

The European Commission has presented a new package of measures to help the EU wean itself off Russian fossil fuels well before 2030. The “REPowerEU Action Plan” spells out that renewables are at the core of Europe’s energy security. And crucially it tackles the permitting bottlenecks that are holding back the expansion of wind and solar. A new law will enshrine the principle that renewables are presumed to be in the “overriding public interest”. And they’ve explained in detailed recommendation and guidance documents how Governments can simplify their permitting processes.

North Sea offshore wind to help repower the EU

05/18/2022

Today European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will participate in an Offshore Wind Summit with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the Belgian Prime Ministers Alexander De Croo, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. In a joint declaration they are set to highlight the role of home-grown North Sea offshore wind in strengthening the EU’s energy security. The event coincides with the presentation of the EU’s REPowerEU Action Plan which will also underline the central role of wind energy.

Leading international trade fair WindEnergy Hamburg and the H2EXPO & CONFERENCE are setting their sights on the increased development of renewable energies

05/17/2022

From 27 to 30 September 2022, Hamburg will become an energy hub for the world. For four days, at WindEnergy Hamburg everything at the trade show site will revolve around generating energy from wind and its exploitation. At the H2EXPO & CONFERENCE, it is all about the generation, transport, storage and use of green hydrogen. Visitors and exhibitors can use the accompanying conference programme on open-access stages at the heart of the trade fair for industry-specific dialogue and network building.

New Dutch offshore auctions focus heavily on non-price criteria

05/10/2022

The Netherlands are about to close the bidding in their latest offshore wind auction – for the Hollandse Kust West site.

Europe invested €41bn in new wind farms in 2021

05/05/2022

WindEurope has published its annual Finance and Investment Trends report. It shows investor confidence in wind energy remains high. Europe invested €41bn in new wind farms in 2021. This is financing 25 GW of new capacity, a record. But the investments are falling well short of the 35 GW a year of new wind the EU now needs to build to meet its 2030 climate and energy security targets.

EU electricity market rules must support renewables investments

05/03/2022

The EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) has issued its final assessment of the EU electricity market design last week. It comes at a time of volatile electricity prices and unprecedented supply insecurity linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Its core message is the EU must maintain its electricity price setting mechanism and preserve the Internal Energy Market, a key asset in dealing with the crisis. Earlier this month WindEurope published a new paper on electricity market design, stressing that investor certainty is essential to mobilise the massive investments needed to improve Europe’s energy security.

The US is about to build lots of offshore wind – what can it learn from Europe?

05/02/2022

WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson moderated the US-EU Energy Council High-Level Business Forum on Offshore Wind in New Jersey on 27 April.

How do communities all over Europe benefit from having a wind farm nearby?

04/27/2022

On 14 April WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson spoke at the Mix.e event in Lyon, France. The discussion centred around the energy transition and its acceptability. The wind industry actively engages communities around Europe closely when it builds new wind farms, including in France. It is important these practices are applied everywhere and that communities continue to benefit from the energy transition.

UK Energy Strategy further increases offshore targets, leaves door open for onshore

04/14/2022

Last week the United Kingdom presented its new Energy Strategy. It is heavily influenced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the desire to increase energy security by reducing the import of fossil fuels. The UK now commits to phase out Russian oil and coal by the end of 2022 and to reduce total gas consumption by over 40% by 2030. To offset this reduction in imported fuels, the UK wants even more offshore wind. The Strategy is rather disappointing on onshore wind, yet it leaves the door open for future onshore wind development.

Without grid enhancements Europe won’t reach its climate goals

04/11/2022

Electrification is the most cost-effective way to decarbonise Europe’s economy. Direct and indirect electrification will make up 75% of Europe’s energy demand by 2050. The European Commission wants wind to be half of the EU’s electricity by then. However, this can only happen if power grids are optimised and expanded in a timely manner.

Germany gets ready to deploy more than 10 GW of new wind per year with historic package

04/08/2022

The German Government passed the so-called “Easter Package”, the most profound series of changes to German energy policy since the introduction of competitive auctions in 2017. By 2030 Germany aims for 80% renewables in total electricity consumption. Already from 2025 onwards Germany wants to install 10 GW of new onshore wind energy every year alone. To deliver this expansion in onshore wind the Government proposal increases annual auction volumes to up to 12 GW. The package also increased the German offshore wind targets, meaning that Germany will build more than 10 GW of new wind every year from 2025.

Wind-based electrification and sufficient charging points are key to zero-emission transport

03/21/2022

On Friday 18 March WindEurope contributed to a high-level roundtable organised by ACEA, the European Vehicle Manufacturers Association, along with major vehicle manufacturers and industry associations. In a joint declaration, WindEurope and other key associations called on European policymakers to implement the right policies to back the transition towards zero-emission transport.

Germany has turned the corner on onshore wind

03/21/2022

The German Energy Regulator (Bundesnetzagentur) has announced the results of Germany’s latest onshore wind auction. After almost two years of undersubscribed auctions it was the second consecutive auction that was oversubscribed. And that’s not the only good news for onshore wind in Germany. The permitting numbers are up. And the new Government wants to scale up the build-out of new onshore wind.

WindEurope strongly supports a higher target for offshore wind for Belgium

03/17/2022

Belgium’s Minister of Energy Tinne Van der Straeten called for Belgium to raise its offshore wind target to 8 GW. That’s up from 5.7 GW under its existing 2030 target.

Europe wants more renewables to increase its energy security

03/11/2022

Last week, the European Commission presented new measures in response to the rise in electricity prices across Europe. The measures are strongly influenced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Commission wants Europe to accelerate renewables deployment to increase energy security and in particular reduce its dependency on fossil fuel imports from Russia.

More renewables mean huge investments, so don’t tamper with market rules

03/07/2022

The current crisis highlights the need to improve Europe’s energy security. Which means more renewables ASAP. The EU and national governments clearly get this. Germany’s Finance Minister Christian Lindner recently called renewables “freedom energies”.

Romanian price measures undermine the country’s electricity market

02/25/2022

The Romanian Government introduced a set of three measures to tackle high energy prices. The underlying thought behind these new rules is to support consumers who would struggle otherwise. But they are simultaneously putting excessive pressure on power generators and distributors.

France sends mixed messages on wind energy expansion

02/25/2022

French President Emmanuel Macron recently presented his vision for the country’s path to carbon neutrality by 2050. If elected in the French elections in April this is the strategy he’ll move forward with. The plan entails a massive expansion of offshore wind, solar and some new nuclear power plants. But the onshore wind plans are much less ambitious.

Norway announces first offshore wind auction

02/22/2022

Last week the Norwegian Government announced that they will hold the country’s first offshore wind auction in the second half of 2022. The auction will have a total capacity of 1.5 GW. Further offshore wind auctions will follow. Despite the announcement, the Norwegian wind industry is not completely content.

Messy permitting leads to yet another undersubscribed wind auction in Italy

02/02/2022

Italy has published the results of its latest renewables auction. 3,300 MW was on offer, including non-awarded capacity from previous undersubscribed auctions. But only 975 MW of utility-scale projects were awarded, of which 392 MW were onshore wind. Yet again the lack of permitted projects led to an undersubscribed auction. The backlog of non-awarded renewables capacity in Italy keeps piling up.

Scotland awards seabed rights for massive amounts of offshore wind, most of it floating

01/18/2022

The Crown Estate Scotland has announced the results of the “ScotWind” seabed tender. They auctioned 8,600 km² of sea space which could host almost 25 GW of offshore wind. 17 projects won. With 15 GW most of the capacity that will now be developed will be floating offshore wind. The system the Scots have used for awarding seabed leases ensures the new offshore wind farms will be delivered at the lowest cost for consumers and taxpayers.

New Dutch Government is seriously ambitious on climate and wind energy

01/17/2022

Nine months after elections took place in the Netherlands a new Government has now taken office. It’s a coalition of four parties: VVD, D66, CDA and the Christian Union. And it has a very ambitious agenda on climate change and energy.

Germany announces massive renewables expansion

01/12/2022

During a press conference, Germany’s new Green Minister for Economics and Climate, Robert Habeck, presented his energy and climate plans for the year 2022 and beyond. The plans include a massive expansion of wind energy with up to 10 GW of annual new onshore wind installations towards the end of this decade.

Spain issues plan for up to 3 GW offshore wind by 2030 – in perfect time for WindEurope 2022 in Bilbao!

12/21/2021

Spain approved its first Offshore Wind Roadmap last week. It aims to kickstart the deployment of offshore wind with a view to having up to 3 GW operating by 2030. Given Spain’s geography it’ll all be floating offshore wind. Ports and shipyards across Spain already play a key role in the supply chain for offshore wind in the rest of Europe. The new Roadmap will stimulate the further development of Spain’s floating wind supply chain. The celebration of the WindEurope annual event 2022 in Bilbao on 5-7 April will be a perfect opportunity to focus on this.

Norway needs more onshore and offshore wind to keep up with growing energy demand

12/20/2021

In November WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson spoke at the Norwegian Wind Energy Association’s annual conference and met with Energy State Secretary Amund Vik, Secretary General in the Energy Mnistry Andreas Eriksen and the Energy Regulator Kjetil Lund.

New German Government to speed up wind energy expansion

12/16/2021

The new German Government is up and running. The coalition of Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals brands itself a “climate Government”. They’ve agreed that Germany should exit coal-fired power earlier than planned – in 2030 if possible. And that much more renewable energy will be required to achieve that. So they’ve ambitious plans for the expansion of wind energy – both onshore and offshore.

Spain auctions 2.2GW of onshore wind and retracts clawback measures

11/16/2021

The Spanish Government published the results of its 3.3GW technology-neutral renewable energy auction. Onshore wind won a total of 2.258MW at an average of €30.18. This is amongst the cheapest strike prices in Europe ever and only slightly above the price in January’s auction in Spain.

Lithuanian offshore auction design proposals jeopardise the low-cost delivery of projects