Breaking Down Global Supply Chain Barriers: CEO Panel Discusses Growth Options

When: Wednesday, 26 April 2023, 9:30 - 10:45
Where: Markets Stage

Session description

9:30-9:35 Welcome Address by Ben Backwell, CEO at GWEC
9:35-9:45 Setting the Scene by Shashi Barla, Head of Research at Brinckmann
9:45-10:45 Panel discussion moderated by Christina Aabo, Chief Product Consultant at Green Ducklings

The wind industry can expect record installations in both onshore and offshore markets by 2025 with 680 GW of new capacity expected by 2027. Policymakers need to act now to avoid a supply chain bottleneck stalling the deployment of wind energy from 2026. Those supply chain challenges could impact the world reaching key 2030 climate targets – a key stop on the journey to net zero by 2050.

Ben Backwell, CEO of GWEC was recently reported saying “New policies focused on accelerating the deployment of secure, renewable energy are being introduced across the world, and GWEC expects a sustained surge in growth over the coming decade and beyond. But in order to ensure implementation policymakers need to act decisively to fix market and regulatory barriers to allow investment to flow into new factories to avoid future bottlenecks. In addition, we need much more active global collaboration to enhance and de-risk the supply of critical raw materials in order to ensure that the green economic revolution had the inputs it needs in this crucial period.”

Decisions made by policy makers will have a decisive impact on whether the world will be able to carry out the energy transition within the necessary time frame, and the cost of the transition. While moves to further incentivise investment in supply chains and create more regional diversification and resilience are to be welcomed, attempts to create rigid local content requirements or implement protectionist trade measures create the risks of sharply higher costs and severe delays to the necessary expansion of wind and renewables.

This panel takes a deep dive into the global issues that could put wind ambition in jeopardy of not being realized. It looks at responses from various regions around the world to those challenges and what industry is doing to ensure we build capacity.