WindEurope Bulletin
WindEurope Bulletin July 2022
8 July 2022
CEO Foreword
Dear WindEurope Member,
Many thanks to all of you who took part in our Annual General Assembly and Summer Reception. Thank you also for the generous donations many of you have made to our fundraising for victims of the war in Ukraine. The system is open until the end of this week. You can donate online or via bank transfer – more details here.
June has seen further rapid and major developments in energy policy in Europe. EU Energy Ministers agreed a series of changes to the EU Renewable Energy Directive, which will help speed up the permitting of new wind farms – see our summary and reaction here.
The changes enshrine the principle that the build-out of renewables and grids is a matter of “overriding public interest”. The EU now wants 510 GW of wind by 2030, up from 190 GW today. That’s 39 GW a year of new build between now and then. Last year we built 11 GW. Simplifying permitting is key to raising the volumes. Energy Ministers will finalise the changes to the Directive with the European Parliament in the early autumn.
Germany is giving a big helping hand to meeting these new EU targets. Their Parliament passed a new Onshore Wind Law last week which aims at 10 GW of new onshore wind a year from 2025. They’ve also enshrined “overriding public interest” and set a framework for 2% of German territory to be set aside for onshore wind.
But we’ve still many hurdles to clear to deliver on these goals. The wind energy supply chain is really struggling at the moment. All five European turbine manufacturers are operating at a loss today. Their CEOs met with EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton earlier this month to discuss how the EU can help. We’re meeting this week with EU Commission EVP Frans Timmermans and Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson on the same issues. Our asks are clear: EU recovery money should support the supply chain; EU trade policy should support our competitiveness; and renewables auctions should be fully indexed, moving away from the “race to the bottom” that the price-only approach entails and avoid negative bidding.
On that last point we were disappointed that Germany’s new Offshore Wind Law provides for uncapped negative bidding in some of Germany’s future offshore wind auctions. Negative bidding adds costs which developers have to pass onto the energy consumers and the supply chain. We will continue to push back against this: in Germany and elsewhere. Many countries are resisting negative bidding, most notably the UK who again showed the benefits of their CfD system in their huge and successful auction last week.
A word on biodiversity. The EU Commission have tabled new laws in a Nature Protection Package that set a 20% restoration target for Europe’s land and seas. At the same time the EU clearly recognises that renewables expansion is key to tackling climate change which is central to protecting biodiversity. Hence the “overriding public interest” I mentioned above. And the new EU Renewables Directive also strengthens the population-based approach to species protection.
It’s worth repeating – the wind industry is as committed as ever to protecting the natural environment. That means safeguarding wildlife near wind farms and blunting environmental impacts wherever we can. Turbines themselves can be directly involved in biodiversity restoration of course, both onshore and offshore. See our infographic here for a clearer picture on this. You can read more about our response to the Nature Protection Package here.
Our RE-Source Platform holds its Annual Event on PPAs and corporate sourcing on renewables on 6-7 October in Amsterdam. It’s Europe’s largest gathering of green corporate buyers and sellers, and it’s the ideal venue to build lasting partnerships with corporates looking to go green. Registration is now open.
And stand sales are still open for our Annual Event 2023, 25-27 April in Copenhagen. This is a chance to put your company and your products centre-stage on the exhibition floor, exhibiting to 8,000+ attendees from across the industry and beyond. We’ll also be opening our Call for Abstracts soon – a chance to shape the scope and the focus of the conference. More info on this in the next few weeks.
May I take this opportunity to wish you a pleasant and restful summer. We’ve all had a huge amount to grapple with in the last few months – so a big thank you once again for all your continued input and support.
Kind regards,
Giles Dickson
WindEurope Intelligence Platform
Our featured products this month
With the release of the Commission’s new Nature Protection Package, it’s important to highlight our actions on biodiversity as a sector.
This infographic contains our key messages on how wind energy makes positive efforts to protect biodiversity, and what we are doing to minimise our impact.
Wind energy finance and investment
This tool gives the 2021 wind energy financing and capital cost figures by country and technology and includes a database of all onshore and offshore final investment decisions (FIDs) in Europe to date.
Members interview: AXIS Capital
This month, we sat down with Richard Carroll, Global Head of Renewable Energy at AXIS Capital, to discuss the risks facing developers and the benefits of industry-wide collaboration.
Share your successes with us!
Is your brand bringing new, ground-breaking solutions to the wind industry? Have you recently launched a major project in your field? Do you have positive business news to share?
Then make sure to get in touch with us here at WindEurope – we’ll be happy to promote your success story as part of our monthly Bulletin! This is a chance to share your accomplishments with thousands of others from right across the wind energy value chain – a major visibility boost.
Please be aware that this service is only available to members from the categories C3 and above. Publication of stories is on a first come, first served basis.
Get in touch with our Membership team now to send in your news!
Events
WindEnergy Hamburg 2022
When: 27-30 September
Where: Hamburg
The global wind industry is coming together in Hamburg this autumn, from 27-30 September. And WindEurope will be there – together with 1,400 exhibitors and 35,000 attendees.
As European Partner, together with German associations BWE and VDMA, WindEurope will support the organisation of the New Horizons stage on the exhibition floor. And we’ll be hosting sessions running across the entire four days – covering supply chain issues, regional market updates, PPAs, investment trends, floating wind and renewable hydrogen. This stage is part of the four content stages of the fair including GWEC’s Global Market Theatre, the Speakers’ Corner and the H2 stage.
Check out the event website for further information. And you can see the full list of exhibitors here. There’s still time to book your own stand as well – you can do so here.
Registration is now open – you can sign up here. These tickets will give all participants access to the exhibition halls as well as the stages. We look forward to seeing you there this September.
RE-Source 2022
When: 6-7 October
Where: Hotel Okura, Amsterdam
The war in Ukraine has reshaped European energy policy. And the new direction is clear – no more Russian energy imports by 2027, and faster renewables deployment. Renewables are the key to Europe’s energy competitiveness, our security and our climate goals.
With volatile energy prices and climate concerns, hundreds of business leaders want to switch to 100% renewables. Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) have helped facilitate this transition. For corporates, they are a stable, long-term supply of energy. For Europe as a whole, they are another step on the road to energy security and climate neutrality.
The RE-Source Platform plays a key role in promoting and facilitating green corporate energy sourcing. And its Annual Event is back, from 6-7 October in Amsterdam. This is Europe’s largest gathering of green corporate buyers and sellers.
What can you look forward to while you’re there?
- An extensive programme of sessions, workshops and roundtables looking at the PPA scene across Europe, the supply chain, SMEs, energy-intensive industries, risk-mitigation, public procurement by cities, and more.
- A chance for corporate buyers – of different sizes and sectors – and renewable developers, utilities, and manufacturers to come together and build lasting partnerships.
- And a chance to meet policymakers to discuss market and regulatory barriers and solutions.
RE-Source is the prime location to build lasting partnerships with corporates looking to go green. And in so doing to help put Europe on the path to energy security. Registration has opened now – see our website for more info.
WindEurope EoLIS 2022
When: 1-2 December
Where: Belgium
It’s a fact: wind turbines don’t last forever. A large part of Europe’s turbine fleet will come to the end of its operational life over the next 10-15 years.
Now we also have our new energy priorities to contend with. The war in Ukraine has pushed energy security to the forefront. Europe has said it wants 510 GW by 2030. That means a lot of new wind capacity. But it also means we’ll need to maximise our existing assets either through lifetime extension or through repowering where we can.
So how much of this capacity can we repower? How much of it will be decommissioned? And is there a way to sustainably recycle all turbine material?
WindEurope’s End of Life Issues and Strategies Seminar will shed some light on these vital questions. And it’s taking place 1-2 December this year. You’ll be able to share your own insights on this, and listen to hundreds of other experts from across industry and academia.
More info to come on the event soon. We look forward to seeing you this December!
WindEurope Annual Event 2023
When: 25-27 April 2023
Where: Copenhagen
The wind industry is heading to Copenhagen, from 25-27 April 2023. And there’s a lot lined up.
This will be the key European wind energy event of 2023. You can expect a wide-ranging conference shedding light on the state of the industry. Hundreds of companies exhibiting their brands and looking to do business. Guest speakers from Governments, industry, NGOs, financial institutions and centres of learning. And thousands of others from around the world looking to fill themselves in on all things wind.
Our Exhibition Sales for the event have just opened. Click below to see our packages – WindEurope’s members are entitled to reduced rates for stand bookings. This is your chance to put yourself at the heart of the action.
New Windflix Content – Giles & Pierre look at the latest on REPowerEU and other policy developments around Europe
As the EU hammers out its new approach to Russian gas, REPowerEU is moving forward. Governments have agreed to its provisions last month, now it goes onto Parliament this autumn. But what are the caveats? Supply chains are also struggling at the moment, so what actions are policymakers taking? And what’s the latest from Germany, the UK, Spain and elsewhere? In this installment, Giles and Pierre are back for a final European policy roundup just before the summer break.
ONS 2022 – Stavanger
When: 29 August-1 September
Where: Stavanger, Norway
The ONS (Offshore North Seas) Foundation is a world-leading, non-profit organisation facilitating discussions and collaboration on energy, technology and innovation. The ONS biennial event brings together high-profile decision-makers as well as global influencers involved in key energy discussions around the world.
Hear from industry executives on the future of the energy industry, including new technologies, new forms of leadership and new business models.
