WindEurope Bulletin November 2022

CEO Foreword

Dear WindEurope Member,

You’ll have seen the EU have now agreed a revenue cap for wind farms and other “infra-marginal” power generators – of €180/MWh – to help families and businesses with soaring energy costs. If it were a single EU-wide technology-neutral cap, we wouldn’t be too concerned. But EU governments are able to deviate from that cap and set different caps for different technologies. This is not good. The lack of clarity, and a fear that national Governments could change their caps at any time, risk turning investors away from Europe. Far from tackling the energy crisis, this could undermine the renewables investments needed to improve Europe’s energy security.

The focus is now on how exactly national Governments implement the cap. We’ve laid out six key recommendations for them here. Please plug these in any contacts you have with national Governments. The caps should only apply to actual and realised revenues. Wind farms that are on (lower) fixed income, whether from a tariff, CfD or PPA or because they’ve hedged, will not be affected.

The EU is also moving to re-define its long-term electricity market design. They plan to introduce legislative proposals on this in the first quarter of 2023. These will have a huge impact on the investment environment for future wind projects. The EU Commission are now talking openly about ‘decoupling gas prices from electricity prices’. Long-term contracting, and in particular Government-based Contracts for Difference are likely to play a bigger role in the future – which is potentially encouraging. We are working closely with the Commission as they prepare the proposals. Our priority is to ensure the Market Design supports investments in renewables.

Meanwhile we continue to focus on how to support the wind energy supply chain. We need to get it back to profitability and help it expand if we still hope to deliver big volumes of wind. Last week I updated you on the actions we’re taking to help rectify this.

To recap, WindEurope are pushing on five fronts both at EU and national levels:

1. simplifying and accelerating permitting to help grow the market;
2. ensuring visibility on auctions and the right auction design;
3. getting Governments to support investments in manufacturing, skills and R&D;
4. improving EU trade policy; and
5. pushing for a level playing field with non-European competitors.

We count on your continued support to help guide our response to this. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to let us know what else you think we should be doing here.

Our latest monitor of wind turbine orders highlights the challenges we face. Total orders in Q3 2022 were down 36% on Q3 2021. Orders for the first 3 quarters of 2022 are only 7.7 GW. This is well short of the 18 GW pa we thought we’d be building over 2022-26, let alone the 39 GW pa we need to build to meet the new EU targets for 2030. However, permitting rates are now picking up, albeit from a low base. And Governments are taking measures to simplify permitting rules and procedures.

The simplification of permitting got a further boost last week when EU Heads of Governments agreed at their latest summit that the EU should bring in emergency measures to speed up renewables permitting. We immediately wrote to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to set out what these measures should be. You can read the letter here.

Finally our annual event on repowering and lifetime extension “EoLIS 2022 – End-of-Life Issues and Strategies Seminar” takes places on 1-2 December in Ghent. There’ll be a special focus on making our turbine components as circular as possible. The programme is live, and you can register here. Do come along if you can.

Kind regards,

Giles Dickson

WindEurope Intelligence Platform

Members Successes

ELA Container – 50 years of mobile room solutions worldwide

This year, ELA Container celebrates its 50th anniversary and looks back on an eventful company history characterised by entrepreneurial spirit and consistent development. Founded in 1972 by Bernhard and Elisabeth Albers in Haren (Ems), ELA has developed from a small business into a successful family-owned company operating worldwide. With over 50,000 rental containers, 1,200 employees and 20 locations worldwide, the company is now one of the leading providers of mobile room solutions.

On 6 October 2022, the company’s anniversary was celebrated at an after-work event with long-standing partners, suppliers and clients. A total of around 500 guests and ELA employees got together in the new 26,000 m² production hall in Haren (Ems), Germany. The former production hall of Germany’s largest wind turbine manufacturer, Enercon, was acquired by ELA Container at the beginning of the year, marking a major milestone for the company.

After a guided tour through the newly acquired building, the celebration was opened by the management board. The managing partners Tim Albers, Liesel Albers-Bentlage and Günter Albers expressed their gratitude for the many years of partnerships and looked back on the 50-year success story of the ELA Group.

The company has its origins in the early 1970s when the company’s founders, Elisabeth and Bernhard Albers, recognised the potential of discarded sea containers as burglar-proof storage containers. After Bernhard Albers had purchased the first used sea containers in Rotterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg and refurbished them using wire brushes, angle grinders and paint rollers, the first safe and stable storage containers quickly found their way to construction sites all over Germany.

From the sea containers, soon the fully galvanised and insulated mobile room solutions with electrical installation and heating were developed. They are still used today as office, living, recreation and sanitary containers, among other applications.

With a passion and a strong sense for innovation and economic development, the company is constantly opening up new markets and is a strong partner for a wide range of industries – from construction to trade, healthcare, education or gastronomy.

For the ELA management, the anniversary is a special occasion to reflect on the goals for the upcoming years. According to Günter Albers, the company wants to continue its success story and focus even more closely on international growth. “We set the course for healthy corporate growth and the further development of our locations every year,” explains Albers. He emphasises: “In the future, we want to open more offices in Germany as well as establish a subsidiary in a new country every year.”

In order to meet future market requirements, ELA is investing in new, innovative technologies to optimise processes and to promote cooperation. With the establishment of a fully automated container production in the new production hall and the continuous development of international markets, the course is being set for further growth of the ELA Group.

By using robotic components, the newly founded ELA Production GmbH is expected to produce up to 15,000 containers per year starting in autumn 2023. In order to meet the increasing demand, the company can thus increase its productivity in the long term and determine the innovation speed of container production itself.

More on ELA Container here.

Bridon-Bekeart Ropes Group concludes investment and commercial partnership with TFI Marine to accelerate the go-to-market of digital-enabled solutions

TFI Marine has developed and successfully demonstrated SeaSpring, a game-changing polymer-based mooring component that significantly reduces the mooring loads and fatigue experienced by floating platforms as a result of wind thrust and wave motion. The SeaSpring load reduction device brings down footprint, costs, wear, and maintenance of mooring systems. Moreover, the SeaSpring is a self-powering device, enabling permanent digital monitoring of mooring systems.

The announced BBRG investment will be used to construct TFI Marine’s first state-of-the-art manufacturing plant, scaling up SeaSpring production to an industrialised level.

BBRG’s ‘MoorLine’ synthetic ropes have been specifically designed for floating offshore wind applications where customers demand reliable ropes that ensure floaters stay put in the most challenging conditions. The offer extension with SeaSpring load reduction devices will expand the value creation potential of the mooring solution as it will increase the overall lifespan of the mooring system and significantly reduce mooring footprints.

Noel Halloran, Founder and Chairman of TFI Marine commented: ‘This partnership with BBRG will change the way people think of mooring solutions forever. The smarter mooring solutions for the future will combine TFI Marine’s SeaSprings and BBRG synthetic rope along with several more initiatives currently being worked on. With the BBRG team, we have a partner who is totally committed to market change. We look forward to working with them.’

Christof Dewijngaert, General Manager Synthetic Ropes of Bridon-Bekaert Ropes Group commented: ‘We are proud to work together with TFI Marine, who have innovated a game-changing solution that reduces peak loads and strongly compliments the synthetic ropes from BBRG for permanent mooring systems. We see enormous potential in offering our shared customers a combined solution in what is to become an exciting new industry. Together, we will continue to develop the most advanced solutions in the floating offshore wind mooring market.’

More on Bridon-Bekeart Ropes Group here.

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!

Send us your success story

Events

EoLIS 2022: One month to go!

With energy security in the spotlight, every wind turbine in Europe is a strategic asset. But the reality is some of our oldest turbines are reaching the end of their predicted lifespan – nearly half of them by 2030 in fact.

We need to be prepared for what comes next. But while this might mean end-of-life for some turbines, it can also mean relaunching them, bigger and better. And that’s what we’ll be focusing on at EoLIS 2022.

So join us this year in the historic setting of Ghent, from 1-2 December, as we tackle the biggest turbine end-of-life questions. Our programme is here, with sessions covering plenty of ground – decommissioning, repowering, lifetime extension, circularity, and sustainability of turbine materials. And with coffee breaks and networking sessions across the day, you’ll be able to catch up and network with technical experts from industry, academia and beyond.

The clock is ticking! Get registered here, and we’ll see you next month in Ghent!

Register now

WindEurope Annual Event 2023

The wind industry’s biggest annual gathering returns to Copenhagen, from 25-27 April 2023. As energy prices continue to soar, and Europe pushes for greater energy security, we have a giant task ahead of us. All the more reason to come together and plan for a future powered by wind.

For three days, 10,000+ attendees are expected to join us at the state-of-the-art Bella Center for a giant industry catchup. There’ll be key faces from policy and industry there – including IEA Chair Fatih Birol and EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson. There’ll be an extensive conference grappling with the current energy crisis, the state of our industry – onshore and offshore – and our role in the years ahead. Over 450 exhibitors will be taking their place on the exhibition floor as well – a chance to deepen business ties and to build new ones.

With such a huge representation, it’s the ideal spot to boost your visibility. Check out the Annual Event Sponsorship Package for a chance to become a sponsor and increase your exposure to thousands of industry professionals.

Find out more