EU: Wind Power Plans Change
The goal is to increase wind energy capacity from 204 GW in 2022 to over 500 GW in 2030, in the 27 EU countries
Wind power capacity in the EU countries must increase significantly if we are to achieve the target of renewable energy share of at least 42.5% by 2030.
For this reason, on October 24, the European Commission presented an action plan for wind energy, aimed at ensuring that “the clean energy transition goes hand in hand with industrial competitiveness.”
The goal is to increase wind power capacity from 204 GW in 2022 to more than 500 GW in 2030. This is not an easy task, despite the European “tradition” in this sector, due to “an unprecedented combination of difficulties, including insufficient and uncertain demand, slow and complex licensing procedures, lack of access to raw materials, strong inflation and high raw material prices, unfavorable design of national tenders, ever increasing pressure from international competitors, and risks associated with the availability of skilled labor,” the Commission said.
The action plan calls for faster deployment through “greater predictability and faster authorization processes”: new wind farms will bring 16 GW of new capacity in 2022 (+47% per year), but 37 GW/year is required to reach targets. The main focus will be on the digitalization of authorization procedures and technical assistance to member states in accelerating and facilitating formalities. The Commission will then support critical construction of electricity grids. The auction procedure will be improved “with well-designed and objective criteria that will reward equipment with the highest added value and ensure full and timely implementation of projects.”
In this case, investments will be supported by the Innovation Fund, and the European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide guarantees to reduce risks.
The commission will also monitor “any unfair trade practices that benefit foreign wind energy producers and will continue to use trade agreements to facilitate access to overseas markets, while promoting the adoption of EU and international standards for the sector.” The topic of skills will also be addressed, with the aim of training 100,000 people specialized in this sector.
Finally, a lot of weight and support will be given to offshore wind, with the expectation of rapid and widespread deployment. Significant contributions are expected from this sector, and much remains to be done: the EU’s total offshore installed capacity in 2022 was 16.3 GW, with 1.2 GW of new power installed last year to meet the targets.