30 November 2022
The EU Raw Materials Act – WindEurope’s contribution to the European Commission consultation
As announced by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in its Annual State of the Union in September, the European Commission is working on a legislative proposal to boost autonomy and resilience for key raw materials. WindEurope has contributed to the Commission’s public consultation to provide our industry’s priorities. To succeed in its green transition, Europe needs to significantly increase its renewable energy capacity, and in particular to reach 510 GW of wind energy installations by 2030 (as compared to 190 GW today). Manufacturing wind turbines and components requires stable, secure supply and cost-competitive supply of raw materials such as concrete, iron, and steel that make up more than 90% of the mass of a turbine, including the foundation. In addition, aluminium, chromium, copper, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, and rare earth elements (e.g., neodymium, dysprosium, praseodymium) are used in wind turbine components. For most of these materials the local supply is under constraint and imports are subject to duties and other restrictions. The new EU Raw Materials Act can help address some of the challenges faced by the European wind supply chain and ensure it can deliver cost-competitively the objectives set by REPowerEU and the long-term European decarbonisation goals.
