Cooperation between WindEnergy 2006 and CREIA

The Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association (CREIA) is the new cooperation partner of WindEnergy 2006 - International Trade Fair. The CREIA is the largest Chinese association for renewable energies, with more than 100 member companies. From now on, it will give its exclusive support to WindEnergy as the only European event for this industry with which it is associated. This partnership enables WindEnergy, the leading International Trade Fair for the wind industry, to develop one of the largest growth markets in the energy sector. China is currently the world´s second largest consumer of energy, and growing fast. Two thirds of Chinese power demand currently come from coal fired power stations. The Chinese government is concerned to meet the growing energy needs of the economy in a more environmentally acceptable, and since last year it has increasingly given its support to renewables. It has adopted new legislation to this effect, entering into force on 1 January 2006. This aims to obtain 10% of the country´s electricity supplies from renewables by 2010. Wind turbines accounted for 764 MW at the end of 2004, and by 2010 this is to rise to a total of 5 gigawatts (GW) installed power, and by 2020 to as much as 30 GW. By comparison Germany, the world´s leading wind energy market, currently has some 17 GW installed power. Li Junfeng, Director of CREIA, believes the Chinese market can do even more. "There is enough viable wind resource in China to power the whole country completely. The capacity of wind potential in viable windy locations in China could match current total national capacity of all China´s existing power stations combined", he said in a statement at the International Renewable Energy Conference (BIREC) in November 2005. The CREIA sees internationalisation, financing and industry growth as key issues, which will also be major subjects at the WindEnergy. "The WindEnergy 2006 international trade fair, not only focuses on the same key areas and goals," said Junfeng, commenting on cooperation of CREIA with this industry leading fair in Hamburg. "It is also the right platform for networking of the global wind industry and the Chinese wind industry." Dietmar Aulich, Managing Director at Hamburg Messe, added: "This cooperation with the CREIA strengthens international know-how transfer for expansion of the market of the future, and for development of wind energy to become one of the leading energy resources."