WIND POWER CAN MAKE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO GLOBAL ENERGY NEEDS, SAY WIND INDUSTRY LEADERS

On 7th November in Beijing, eight CEOs from leading wind industry companies will discuss the global opportunities of wind energy in a Business Forum for dialogue between industry representatives and politicians at the Beijing International Renewable Energy Conference 2005 (BIREC 2005). BIREC 2005 will bring together high-level representatives from over 100 countries. It is hosted by the Chinese government and supported by the German government as a follow-up of the International Renewable Energy Conference in Bonn in June 2004.

The CEO roundtable is organised by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) and the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC). It will be attended by some of the most important players in the international wind energy industry: Gamesa (Spain); GE (US); Goldwind (China); Nordex (Germany); Repower (Germany); Suzlon (India) and Vestas (Denmark).

“The era of cheap fossil fuels is coming to an end, and the main global challenge is to tackle climate change, meet rising energy demands and safeguard security of supply. Wind energy is one of the most effective technologies ready for global deployment that can help tackle these problems”, said Corin Millas, Chief Executive of EWEA. “China is rapidly becoming one the world’s most important wind energy markets, there is major potential here for growth”.

With energy demand increasing rapidly, especially in high-growth Asian economies, experts see a huge potential for renewable energy. In China, wind power is developing fast, with 43 wind farms currently producing around 764 MW. The country’s Renewable Energy Law, which will come into force on 1 January 2006, is expected to give an additional boost to the exploitation of renewable energies and the government recently doubled its target of installed wind power capacity to 40 GW by 2020. In 2004 EWEA co–hosted a business Forum with the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association (CREIA) in Beijing to provide input to the drafting of the Chinese Renewable Energy Law.

Yesterday, the Energy and Environment Commissioners underlined the importance of renewables in a statement.

"I very much welcome the Chinese government’s initiative in organising this conference. It sends a clear message that emerging economies want to play a leading role in creating the conditions for renewables to thrive,” said EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, who will also attend the conference. “The EU stands ready to contribute its know-how to developing innovative policies, instruments and public-private partnerships for accelerating renewable energy markets worldwide."

Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs added: "To achieve a Sustainable Energy Future, promoting renewable energy sources is essential in order to respond to world wide challenges like security of energy supply and reduction of CO2 emissions."

On Sunday 6th November, a Chinese version of the report Wind Force 12 will be released in Beijing, detailing the status of wind energy and its potential in the future Chinese energy mix.