WindEurope Bulletin
WindEurope Bulletin July 2019
11 July 2019
Giles DicksonCEO Foreword
Dear WindEurope Member,
Many thanks to all of you who attended our Open Day and Annual General Assembly last month. We were delighted to host these events and showcase the work we do for you.
Some of you also came that week to our summer reception that we co-hosted with Cefic – the European Chemicals Association – in our new office garden in Brussels. It was good to do a joint event with the chemicals industry: they’re a key part of our supply chain; and as an energy-intensive power consumer a key customer of what we generate. They’ve started signing PPAs with us and want to do many more.
On that note, registrations are now open for RE-Source 2019, our annual event on corporate renewable power purchasing. The programme outline is already online. Every edition of this event so far has sold out in advance, so do register early.
There’s another reason why we’re working more closely with the chemicals industry. The first generation of wind turbines are now starting to come to the end of their operational life so recycling the old blades is a top priority for us. Teaming up with the chemical and compositors industries will enable us to do it the most effective way.
We’ll be tackling issues in recycling at our End-of-life Issues and Strategies (EoLIS) workshop in September. It will focus on policy and permitting issues as well as technology challenges. We’ll have sessions on lifetime extension, repowering, decommissioning and recycling. You can register here.
June was a big month for offshore wind. We had big news in France. Bids to build a 600 MW offshore wind farm Dunkirk came in at a winning price of €44/MWh. And the French Government decided to up its offshore ambition on the back of these results.
This reflects a broader political push for offshore wind. A net-zero emissions economy by 2050 will mean a total of 240-450 GW of offshore wind, according to the European Commission. Last month, North Seas Energy Ministers agreed to extend their Political Declaration of North Seas Countries Energy Cooperation beyond 2019. The Political Declaration called for more focus on action, instead of cost-reduction, already achieved by the industry ahead of time.
Governments will need to collaborate even more on offshore. And our industry will also need to strengthen its cooperation with other sea users. Governments need to spell out their offshore volume targets – and the policies to achieve them – in the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) for 2030.
On that topic, we’re already gearing up for our next major event: WindEurope Offshore 2019 in Copenhagen this November. Most of the exhibition space has already been sold and we’re already building out a fantastic programme. More on that soon.
Finally, I’d like to give a very warm welcome to our new Board member, Green Investment Group, who were elected at our Annual General Assembly last month.
Enjoy the summer,
Giles Dickson
Policy News
Failing to plan is planning to fail: Commission calls out EU countries on draft National Energy and Climate Plans
On 18 June the European Commission released its assessment and recommendations on the EU-28 countries’ National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) for 2030. The NECPs aim to drive investments into the energy transition and ensure that Europe meets its collective 2030 target of 32% renewable energy.
As they stand the Plans will not allow Europe to deliver on its 32% target according to the Commission. This is because 15 countries are not planning to contribute their fair share on renewables: Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia and the UK.
The Commission also wants Member States to be granular on the measures that will deliver renewables investments. In particular measures on repowering of wind farms reaching the end of their operational life, streamlining permitting for renewables, removing barriers to corporate renewable Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and boosting the electrification of heating, transport and industrial processes in their final Plans.
“The message from the European Commission is clear: failing to plan is planning to fail. The draft Plans don’t get Europe to 32% renewables by 2030,” WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson said. “There’s only six months to turn the Plans into the investment brochures they’re supposed to be. It’s a once in ten-year opportunity to send the right investment signals. Citizens showed strong support for a more sustainable economy in the recent European elections. And it makes economic sense: wind is the cheapest form of new power generation.”
The Commission will continue engaging EU countries to improve the NECPs, sharpen the national objectives and spell out policies that can ensure their implementation. Countries will have until the end of 2019 to finalise the Plans.
Members’ News
Ørsted chooses Atos to supply critical communications solutions for offshore wind farms in Taiwan
Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, has been selected by Ørsted to supply critical communications solutions based on TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked radio) technology for two offshore wind farms in Taiwan.
As part of this contract, Atos will supply a comprehensive communication solution and will be responsible for the whole value chain: from engineering and design down to installation, testing and commissioning, and a 5-year maintenance support. ‘Atos’ proven engineering competencies are crucial in the harsh and challenging environment of offshore wind farms,’ said Mads Thorsted Nielsen, Ørsted Manager of SCADA Communication – Wind Power.
The wind farms are located off the coast of Changhua County in Taiwan. ‘We are proud to support Ørsted in developing renewable energy worldwide, by providing our expertise in critical communication solutions,’ said Cyril Dujardin, Atos Senior VP, Mission-Critical Systems, Big Data & Security Division. This is the first call-off contract signed under the new Atos and Ørsted frame agreement for current and future offshore windfarms projects in the APAC region. A similar frame agreement for Europe was signed in December 2017.
ASM Offshore marks the start of operations in the Port of Aveiro, Portugal
ASM Offshore’s new industrial unit has begun operations in the Port of Aveiro. With a total area of 72,000m2, this industrial facility will be a hub for the manufacturing of large metal structures and components for offshore wind.
Its technology and heavy machinery are fully adapted for the serial production of offshore wind towers, foundations and other products. Thanks to a quay side of 200m, a draft of 10m, and direct access to the Atlantic Ocean, ASM Offshore is able to receive raw materials directly from the vessel and load its finished and heavy components for export.
The new industrial unit began its testing phase last May, pursuing the calibration and commissioning of equipment and preparation for production ramp-up. This phase aims to test the capacities, proper functioning and constraints of all equipment and infrastructures of the productive flow, but also to identify, anticipate and mitigate any risks and difficulties.
ASM Offshore already has several projects in its pipeline and is currently actively involved in two offshore wind farms in Europe.
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Events
WindEurope Offshore 2019: Europe’s leading offshore wind event
When: 26 – 28 November
Where: Copenhagen
What: WindEurope’s dedicated offshore wind conference and exhibition.
Why attend: Exhibition space has almost completely sold out for Europe’s foremost international offshore wind event, taking place in Copenhagen’s magnificent Bella Center.
Europe’s offshore fleet needs to grow significantly to meet the challenges of climate change; this means doing business on the exhibition floor. (You can check out our interactive floorplan here).
Join Event Ambassadors MHI Vestas, Ørsted, Shell New Energies and Van Oord as they exhibit alongside companies like Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, DNV GL, Vattenfall, LM Wind Power, ENGIE as well as national and regional pavilions from Denmark, Norway, the Basque country and beyond. Check out our exhibitor list.
EoLIS 2019: WindEurope’s new seminar on End-of-Life Issues and Strategies – Limited places now available
When: 5 September
Where: Leuven, Belgium
What: The first edition of WindEurope’s seminar on End-of-Life Issues and Strategies (EoLIS)
Why attend: A significant share of Europe’s wind turbine fleet will come to the end of its projected lifetime within the next 15 years. This outgoing generation capacity will have to be replaced – but there are significant challenges to this. This seminar will tackle policy and permitting issues as well as technology challenges, with in-depth sessions on lifetime extension, repowering, decommissioning and recycling.
Places are now limited for the inaugural edition of this one-day seminar, which deals with one of the major challenges for wind energy. See the full programme outline here.
RE-Source 2019: Registration now open
When: 2 – 3 October
Where: Amsterdam
What: The world’s largest gathering of corporate renewable energy buyers and suppliers
Why attend: This year, we’ll have more B2B matchmaking activities, deep dive breakout sessions and 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.
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