WindEurope Bulletin
WindEurope Bulletin April 2019
15 April 2019
Giles Dickson
CEO Foreword
Dear WindEurope Member,
First, a big ‘thank you’ to all of you who joined us in Bilbao at the start of the month for our annual conference and exhibition. I hope you enjoyed it and it was a useful event for you.
We were very pleased with how it went. The location and venue was great, and we had excellent support from the host authorities. Over 8,500 people took part in the end, and there were more than 300 exhibitors. The conference had 155 speakers across 30 different sessions, and then there was a host of good side-events including workshops on skills and on regional economic transition. It was good to have the health and safety and thought leadership sessions inside the exhibition too.
There were 6 Government Ministers there including Teresa Ribera (Spanish Minister for Ecological Transition) and Michal Kurtyka of Poland who is also the current President of the UN climate change negotiations. And to top it all King Felipe of Spain spent 3 hours at the event on the first day.
The King gave a great speech. Climate change is “very alarming,” he said. But “all of you here today represent part of the best response we can offer in the face of these existential challenges.” He spoke of the economic benefits of wind energy. And he told the industry to “feel proud” of its achievements so far but “not content. It may be so that many countries the world look over to Spain as a standard-setter of how to integrate renewable energy into the electricity network, but we should not stop pushing even further in this and other areas, and stay at the forefront of this global transformation.” These words set the tone for three days of fruitful debates and discussions.
You can re-live some of the highlights from Bilbao in our post-event report, the photos or the recap video.
You may have seen we issued new analysis during the Bilbao event of European countries’ draft National Energy & Climate Plans. The headline pledges on renewables in the draft Plans are not too bad. But the Plans are lacking badly in detail on the policy measures and instruments that will enable countries to deliver on those pledges, such as when wind auctions will happen and what countries will do to electrify heating and transport. Countries have until the end of 2019 to finalise the Plans, and the European Commission are leaning hard on them to make improvements. We are working with the Commission and with national governments to make sure this happens. We count on your support for this.
Looking ahead, do save the dates for other events we’re organising. On 26-28 November we have our big offshore wind event in Copenhagen. Exhibition space is fast running out – so book your stand soon. We’ll also be opening the conference programme ‘call for solutions’ soon.
On 25 June our annual summer reception will take place in our new “back yard” (we move into our new office in Brussels on 23 April). On 26 June we will have our biennial Open Day for members. And on 27-28 June we’re doing a Technology Workshop on resource assessment: how to reduce uncertainty about wind volumes with better models and validation tools – registration for that is now open.
Giles Dickson
Market Intelligence Spotlight
Update on National Policy & Regulatory Developments
There are reasons to be optimistic about the future of wind energy in Europe – but there are serious challenges we need to overcome to reach the EU’s renewables target of 32% for 2030.
Here we present you a brief overview of our recent report, Wind Energy in Europe: National policy and regulatory developments. The report focuses on the latest national policy and regulatory developments in Europe. It shows a support mechanism overview for new wind farms, and the most important permitting requirements in the largest European markets.
Let’s put all of this in context. The EU’s Renewable Energy Directive is there to secure the investment climate for renewables. Crucially, it requires Member States to provide five years’ visibility on their public support for renewables, including the timing, volumes and budget for future auctions. It makes it much more difficult for Governments to retroactively change support mechanisms. And it sets deadlines for permitting (3 years for new projects, 2 for repowered projects). Governments must set all of this in national law by mid-2021, at the latest.
In parallel, the EU agreed a Regulation requiring national Governments to submit 10-year National Energy and Climate Plans setting out how they intend to help meet the EU’s 2030 targets. Governments need to set out wind volumes and say what they will do about the existing turbines that will come to the end of their operational life. They have until the end of 2019 to finalise the plans.
The EU’s new renewable energy and energy efficiency targets put us on track to cut emissions in 2050 by 60% compared to 1990. But that won’t be enough to meet the Paris Climate Agreement objective of keeping temperature rises well below 2 degrees.
For this reason, the European Commission has set out different scenarios towards a carbon-neutral EU economy by 2050. In all of the Commission’s decarbonisation scenarios, wind energy would account for more than 50% of the EU’s total power production. And this is the latest in a series of significant reports on the potential of wind energy in Europe: the International Energy Agency’s 2018 World Energy Outlook said that wind energy is set to overtake coal, nuclear and gas to become the EU’s largest source for power generation in 2027. According to the IEA, wind electricity generation in the EU will more than triple to 1,100 TWh by 2040.
It’s tempting to think we’re riding some unstoppable wave. But let’s just step back and look at the reality out there. The last 6 months saw undersubscribed auctions in Germany and France because of the increasing permitting challenges for wind nowadays. In Germany the rate of successful permit applications for wind farms is 70% down on what it was 2 years ago, while France has gone 12 months without a permitting authority because of a legal problem. Across Europe, hub height, tip height, distance rules and radar regulations are making it harder to develop projects. Local opposition to new renewables is better organised and funded. Nothing is inevitable – and we have to fight for every new wind turbine.
On the political front the context may be about to get more challenging as well. We have European Parliament elections next month, then a “changing of the guard” in the European Commission. Populist forces are gaining traction and are likely to have more influence than they have today.
Of course many things are going better than they used to: energy intensives did not use to like renewables, now they’re signing PPAs; we see advances in the co-existence between wind farm development and military/aviation stakeholders; and higher CO2 prices are helping our cause of a sustainable energy system in Europe. But this is no reason to rest on our laurels.
Find out more about how all the positive (and negative) policy and regulatory developments of H2 2018 are affecting wind across different countries in Europe. Read our report Wind Energy in Europe: National policy and regulatory developments.
Member’s News
Has your organisation had any recent successes you’d like to share with the wider wind energy community? Every month we feature success stories in our Bulletin, reaching an audience of over 6,000 people.
Interested in submitting a success story?
Vattenfall chooses Port of IJmuiden as maintenance hub for Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm
Vattenfall has announced that the Port of IJmuiden – member of Amsterdam IJmuiden Offshore Ports (AYOP) – has been chosen as the O&M home base for the Hollandse Kust 1 and 2 wind farms. The wind farm is expected to be fully in use by 2023.
Vattenfall and the Port of IJmuiden will co-sign on the production and development of the necessary facilities for operations and maintenance in the IJmondhaven. This service centre will contain a variety of state-of-the-art work spaces, including storage for spare parts. Boat landings including cranage for maintenance boats will also be created. These so-called Crew Transfer Vessels will be used to transfer maintenance personnel and equipment to the wind farm and back. Building of the facilities is expected to start in the first months of 2022.
Vattenfall chose the Port of IJmuiden to be their partner on this project mainly because of its excellent location: it is close to the Hollandse Kust Zuid as well as to other planned wind farms. Vattenfall’s NoordZee Wind wind farm already operates from this port, providing a good frame of reference regarding the region. The strategic way of thinking on subjects like offshore wind, infrastructure and involving nearby suppliers have also made a good impression on Vattenfall.
Peter van der Meerakker (Managing Director Zeehaven IJmuiden N.V.) says “We are very pleased that Vattenfall has decided to put their trust in Port of IJmuiden. This is an exciting development for the Hollandse Kust. I am convinced that this will turn out to be the starting point of many wonderful developments in our region.”
Ron Davio (Chairman of Amsterdam IJmuiden Offshore Ports) says “We are excited about this first announcement and are looking forward to supporting Vattenfall with our offshore community. With the united strength of our members we can provide for clever solutions in offshore energy. Among them are suppliers in maritime, logistics, sites, heliport, airport and seaports. We actively support developments in education, trainings and innovation. Our goal is to deliver a contribution to offshore wind in general and the process of energy transition in particular.”
Events
Save the date: WindEurope Offshore Supply Chain Workshop
When: 24 June
Where: Brussels
Our Offshore Supply Chain Workshop will gather experts to discuss the main obstacles to the rapid, optimal development of the offshore sector in Europe.
There will be Two parallel tracks:
- Electrical interconnection for floating platforms and for new generation turbines.
- Challenges in assembly, commissioning and O&M services.
In addition to the 4 roundtable discussions, there will be a dedicated B2B sessions to ensure companies can hold bilateral meetings with suppliers and customers.
Please note: this event is exclusive to WindEurope members.
Save the date: WindEurope Open Day
When: 26 June
Where: Brussels
Our Open Day will allow members to understand how WindEurope supports the industry and its members. Breakout sessions will provide you with policy updates on the National Energy & Climate Plans per country and an overview of the Market Intelligence tools available to members. The programme will also include a visit to a Brussels-based EU Institution.
This year, the Open Day will be followed by the WindEurope Annual General Assembly in the late afternoon.
More information on the agenda, location(s) and registration will follow – we hope to see you there!
WindEurope Offshore 2019 in Copenhagen: call for abstracts opens this month
Offshore 2019 in Copenhagen (26-28 November 2019) is already on the horizon! We will be opening the call for abstracts later this month. Abstracts are welcome on
- Turbine Technology
- Resource Assessment
- O&M, installation and logistics
- System integration and electrification
- Environmental impacts, social acceptance and spatial planning
Deadline for abstract submissions: 15 June
We would also like your input to help us make the programme even more relevant to you and your company.
We would be grateful if you could fill in our very short survey.
Registrations now open for Resource Assessment 2019
When: 27-28 June
Where: Brussels
The 5th Edition of WindEurope’s Resource Assessment Technology Workshop will take place on 27-28 June in Brussels.
This year we will focus on using better models and validation tools to reduce uncertainty when estimating how much wind there is at a given site.
Over the course of 5 sessions, we will cover:
- The launch of the New European Wind Atlas
- Using data to reduce uncertainty
- Modelling to reduce uncertainty
- Using LiDARs to reduce uncertainty
- Wakes and forests
See the complete programme here.
Save the date: EoLIS 2019: WindEurope’s new seminar on End-of-Life Issues and Strategies
When: 5 September
Where: Leuven, Belgium
A significant share of Europe’s wind turbine fleet will come to the end of its projected lifetime within the next 10 to 15 years. In order to fulfill Europe’s long-term decarbonisation agenda, the share of wind energy in the energy mix needs to grow further, and this outgoing generation capacity will have to be replaced.
But this process is not as straightforward as it could seem.
The first edition of WindEurope’s End-of-Life Issues and Strategies (EoLIS) seminar will bring together industry and academic experts to discuss the way forward.
Our one-day programme will tackle policy and permitting issues as well as technology challenges, with in-depth sessions on lifetime extension, repowering, decommissioning and recycling.
Save the date for RE-Source 2019
When: 2-3 October
Where: Amsterdam
The world’s largest gathering of renewable energy buyers and suppliers is back – and after fantastic feedback to last year’s event, we have decided to continue our corporate renewable energy sourcing discussions in the same location: the exquisite Hotel Okura in Amsterdam.
With more markets opening up to the corporate renewable sourcing opportunity, RE-Source 2019 is the perfect platform to network, learn and do business with key players from both the buyer and supplier side.
This year, we’ll have further B2B matchmaking activities, deep dive breakout sessions and we’re extending the meetings to include more diverse buyer and supplier groups.
Please note: The two last editions of RE-Source sold out in advance – so be sure to have it in your calendar.
So save the date and spread the word: we’re already looking forward to welcoming you to #RESource2019!
WindEurope Offshore 2019
When: 26-28 November
Where: Copenhagen
Europe’s leading offshore wind event is coming to Copenhagen – and exhibition space is selling out fast.
Join us in the home of wind industry giants like Vestas, Ørsted, MHI Vestas and LM Wind Power for WindEurope’s dedicated offshore wind energy event.
Other events
FOWT 2019: the world’s largest floating offshore wind energy event
When: 24-26 April
Where: Montpellier
Please note: registration deadline is 15 April.
For 3 days, world-renowned speakers and experts will sharing the latest findings and observations on: bankability, insurability and financing of commercial-scale projects, latest developments in public policies, O&M, HSE, zoning, permitting and local acceptability, technical innovations, industrialization, standards and certification, etc…
9th New Energy Investor Summit
When: 20 May
Where: Zurich
The New Energy Investor Summit is the annual meeting for senior management, project developers and investors focusing on investments in renewable energy.
Keynote presentations, workshops and panel discussions provide attendees with deep understanding of the trends in the European renewable energy markets.
Exchanges concerning best practice solutions, upcoming projects and investment opportunities make the event a must-go for investors, project developers and service providers alike. The traditional networking dinner with a stunning view over the lake of Zurich is the perfect enabler for new business contacts in an exclusive atmosphere.
