WindEurope Bulletin
WindEurope Bulletin October 2022
7 October 2022
CEO Foreword
Dear WindEurope Member,
Gas and electricity supply continues to dominate politics in Europe. Governments are committing huge sums of money to protect consumers from high prices and scrambling to secure supplies especially of gas. At the same time they recognise that the expansion of renewables is the best way to improve Europe’s energy security long term.
The result is a paradox. Governments now want a massive build-out of wind, both onshore and offshore, in the years ahead. But they’re doing other things, notably in electricity markets, that could well work against that.
Last week EU Energy Ministers agreed new revenue caps for inframarginal electricity generation. They agreed an EU-wide cap of €180/MWh up to June 2023 (initially). BUT they also agreed they could deviate from this nationally AND that they could set different caps for different technologies. This raises the spectre of major uncertainty for investors. Which is the last thing Europe wants given the huge investments needed for the expansion of renewables.
The focus now shifts to how different Governments will implement the revenue cap. Our messages to them are:
- Keep the revenue cap technology neutral and ensure it incentivises investments in renewables.
- Do not apply revenue caps retroactively.
- Avoid changes to the cap once it’s set and give advance notice if the cap is going to be extended.
- Avoid capping and taxing the same revenue.
- Get generators to assess their revenues on a monthly basis, not less than that.
- Factor in how different revenue caps will affect cross border transactions.
More encouraging are developments on permitting. Germany is pulling out the stops to simplify the rules and procedures. France has instructed its regions to take urgent action to remove bottlenecks to new onshore wind. And the new UK Government has decided to back the build-out of onshore wind in England again. Meanwhile the European Parliament is debating new EU permitting rules: “overriding public interest, the population-based approach to species protection and a new approach to the 2-year deadline for permit decisions where the clock would start ticking once the EIA goes in. The Parliament has also voted for a definition in EU law of combined renewables projects, which would speed up the permitting and grid connection of wind/solar or wind/storage projects. More on all of this here.
Elsewhere Energy Ministers from the 9 North Seas countries met in Dublin and pledged to build 76 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and 260 GW by 2050. They focused on the supply chain aspects of this: how to get it back to profitability and then help it expand to meet these targets. They also called for steps to improve port and other infrastructure and workforce availability. Ambition on offshore wind continues to grow all over Europe. The commitments made by different Governments now add up to 165 GW by 2030.
The state of the European wind supply chain remains our main preoccupation. The European Commission are now clear that they need to support us. We’ve had good discussions on this with Frans Timmermans, and others in recent weeks. The German Government are focusing on it too. Our specific priorities are: getting public financial support for investments in plant, infrastructure and R&D; action on skills and workforce; improving auction design; getting a level playing field with China; and of course delivering on permitting to grow the market. I commend to you a recent White Paper from Siemens Gamesa which sets out the challenges and solutions very clearly.
Finally a word on our events:
- on 13 October we launch the 3rd phase of ETIPWind, the EU technology platform for wind that we run on the behalf of the Commission; and
- on 1-2 December is our annual workshop on end-of-life issues, EoLIS 2022, in Ghent. Repowering, lifetime extension and all the issues around decommissioning. Here’s the programme. And you can register here.
Take care.
Giles Dickson
WindEurope Intelligence Platform
National Policy and Regulatory Developments – Q3
This report covers the latest wind energy related national policy and regulatory developments in Europe. It also gives a support mechanism overview for new wind farms and the permitting requirements for the large and medium European markets.
Members Successes
NextFloat
Technip Energies, X1 Wind and a consortium of 10 leading international entities have been selected by the European Commission to deliver the NextFloat project, an ambitious programme aimed at accelerating industrial-scale floating wind.
The NextFloat project’s main objectives are to demonstrate a competitive, sustainable and integrated floating offshore wind solution optimised for deep waters. It also seeks to accelerate the industrial-scale deployment of floating offshore wind.
The integrated solution relies on X1 Wind innovative and disruptive floating offshore wind technology, allowing for a lighter floater design and a reduced steel requirement, as well as a more efficient and compact mooring system, ultimately minimising the impact on seabed.
The project includes the deployment of a full scale 6 MW prototype at Mistral test site in the French Mediterranean Sea, demonstrating the concept in operational condition. It is enabled by the participation of the Open-C foundation which structures and operates all the test sites for marine renewable energies and offshore wind power in France.
The integrated system design, its manufacturing, assembly and installation procedures will be tested at a scale in line with upcoming commercial offshore wind farms. These farms will need industrialised solutions for applications with turbines in the range of 15 MW and beyond.
Laure Mandrou, SVP Carbon-Free Energy solutions of Technip Energies, commented: “[…] We are preparing the future of the floating offshore wind market and accelerating the development of disruptive floating offshore wind solutions at industrial scale.”
Alex Raventos, CEO and co-founder of X1 Wind, said: “[…] This ambitious project aims to bring substantial improvements in the competitiveness of floating wind and prepare the long-term mass deployment of this industry […]”.
As well as Technip Energies and X1 Wind, the consortium also includes Naturgy, 2B-Energy, Hellenic Cables, Ocean Ecostructures, Schwartz Hautmont, Tersan Shipyard, Ecole Centrale de Nantes, Ocas, Hydro and the Technical University of Denmark.
The grant agreement is currently being negotiated with the European Commission and the project is expected to begin in the 4th quarter of 2022.
Falck Renewables
Falck Renewables officially opens its tenth wind farm in France with community benefit scheme agreed for local development projects.
The six-turbine wind farm, which came into commercial operation last July, has an installed capacity of 12 MW and an estimated annual production of around 28 GWh, enough to power approximately 6,600 households.
Local politicians, and representatives of community group Association Bien Vivre à Illois, who will administer the community benefit fund, joined Falck Renewables representatives the opening ceremony on 23 September.
“We are delighted to officially open our new wind farm in France with our local partners. To us a new plant not only means generating more energy from renewable sources, contributing to national decarbonisation objectives and increasing energy independence. It also means creating shared value with and for the local community around the wind farm“, said Toni Volpe, CEO of Falck Renewables.
“Security of the electricity supply is becoming more and more important; we must move with the times and look after our environment for future generations. Thanks to constructive dialogue with Falck Renewables, the former and current municipal council have obtained significant commitments for Illois and its inhabitants”, said Bernard Haudiquert, Mayor of Illois.
As part of the community benefit scheme agreed with Association Bien Vivre à Illois, Falck Renewables will provide an annual sum for local projects in the fields of sustainable development, education, culture, sport, leisure, and the promotion of the municipality of Illois.
“We are glad to partner with Falck Renewables on a community benefit scheme that will enable us to restore the entrance hall of the association’s building, to install picnic seats and tables, and build a playground and a pétanque ground”, said Jean-Baptiste Quesada, President of Association Bien Vivre à Illois.
During the project development phase, special consideration was given to the bird and bat species living in the region, which was reflected in the location of the turbines. The area is also rich in archaeological sites, seven of which are in the vicinity of the wind farm. These have been fully integrated into the layout of the wind farm, so that any new archaeological excavations can be carried out while the wind farm is operating.
“We are proud to keep growing in France, with the official opening of our tenth French wind farm and an overall capacity of 110 MW installed in the country“, said Bertrand Le Mouëllic, Falck Renewables’ Country Manager in France. “While developing and constructing the wind farm we looked carefully at the specific environmental and social needs of the area to ensure they were integrated in a sustainable way into our plans. The input of the Mayor and the local community was invaluable and we thank them and look forward to working together and supporting each other in the coming years.”
***
Falck Renewables S.p.A. develops, designs, builds and manages power production plants from renewable sources, with an installed capacity of 1,420 MW in the United Kingdom, Italy, United States, Spain, France, Norway and Sweden, using wind power, solar power, WtE and biomass technologies. The Group is a global player in the renewable energy technical advisory and asset management services business, through its wholly owned subsidiary Vector Renewables, providing asset management services to clients accounting for approximately 5,300 MW of installed capacity and with experience in more than 40 countries. Falck Renewables also provides highly specialised energy management and downstream services to both energy producers and consumers.
Visit www.falckrenewables.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter (@falckrenewables).
LevelTen Energy
LevelTen Energy – Expansion of Asset Marketplace to Europe to Speed Up Renewable Asset M&A
MADRID – Oct. 6, 2022 – LevelTen Energy, the leading provider of renewable transaction infrastructure, today announced the European expansion of the LevelTen Asset Marketplace, an online platform for buying and selling renewable energy assets.
The LevelTen Asset Marketplace brings together the world’s largest collection of renewable energy project developers and asset investors, and delivers the software, analytics and expertise to quickly buy and sell projects under development, at all stages of maturity. Clients such as Aura Power, Black Mountain Energy Storage, Cypress Creek Renewables, Iberdrola, Lightrock Power and Sol Systems are already using the LevelTen Asset Marketplace to procure and monetise pre-construction renewable energy projects.
“We have built the largest renewable energy community in Europe, including developers, and asset sellers, looking for reliable partners; and also investors who are eager to find reputable developers with robust pipelines to invest in,” said Carlos Almodóvar Almaraz, director of Asset Marketplace Europe. “Expanding on the success we’ve seen in North America, LevelTen’s Asset Marketplace will now make transacting on new renewable energy assets in Europe faster and easier for both buyers and sellers. Amid ongoing energy market volatility, it’s more important than ever to make sure projects can find financing and become operational with the least friction possible. The Asset Marketplace makes that happen.”
Before the LevelTen Asset Marketplace, acquiring or divesting renewable energy assets was a slow, manual and time-consuming process that required insider networks or expensive brokers. The process took months, and with a limited view of the market, participants couldn’t be certain they were transacting on the right projects at the right price. The LevelTen Asset Marketplace allows sellers to find the most suitable partner for their assets by instantly reaching the largest renewable energy network in Europe, maximising asset exposure to qualified buyers and investors. The Asset Marketplace will also help investors increase their M&A pipeline by accessing real, actionable project transactions, and allocating capital to the best deals possible. Participants will benefit from a cutting-edge software product, as well as LevelTen’s team of M&A experts, who will develop the best competitive positioning and facilitate contract negotiations.
For project sellers, LevelTen will upload details about the project on the Asset Marketplace and conduct targeted marketing to its broad network of developers. Entities seeking to acquire projects can browse available listings, or request proposals through the platform. LevelTen’s software makes it easy to collect proposals, gather information to conduct due diligence, answer questions, and select projects, vastly accelerating the acquisition process.
Since launching in North America in 2021, nearly 250 unique developers have participated in Asset Marketplace RFPs, resulting in 11 closed deals and many more in progress. These deals represent over 2.5 GW of renewable energy. The European Asset Marketplace is available today and already has active requests for proposals from developers seeking European projects.
“The expansion of the Asset Marketplace is a testament to LevelTen’s continued momentum in Europe. Since opening our European headquarters in 2019, we’ve grown LevelTen’s platform to enable the industry to build, buy, and sell renewable energy more efficiently, and we’ve seen incredible demand for our software and services,” says Flemming Sørensen, Vice President, Europe at LevelTen. “In Europe alone, we’ve seen over 1,500 PPA price offers and 600 active projects on our Energy Marketplace. We’re now in 23 European countries, with more than 240 European developers using our platform. We also recently launched MarketPulse, a cloud-based software that provides access to real-time PPA and project data that helps industry professionals benchmark prices, analyse the market, and stay competitive.”
Developers or buyers interested in the Asset Marketplace can visit the Asset Marketplace website or contact us to get started: https://www.leveltenenergy.com/contact
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!
Members interview: Ambiens
This month, we sat down with Michal Kaczerowski, CEO of Polish consulting firm Ambiens, to talk about their activities in the Baltic, the importance of simplifying permitting, and changes in the industry over the years.
Introducing – COREWIND
COREWIND – Breakthrough research for floating wind
The COREWIND project aims to boost the performance and cut the costs of floating offshore wind. Through disruptive and cost-effective solutions, COREWIND aims to bring costs down to less than 100€/MWh, developing innovative research, modelling and optimisation for concrete-based floating substructure concepts.
Events
ETIPWind Kick-off Event (13 October)
When: 13 October
Where: Online and in Brussels
REPowerEU, the Commission’s response to the war in Ukraine, calls for 510 GW of wind in Europe by 2030 – up from 190 GW today. This a huge leap, but a key opportunity to strengthen Europe’s technological leadership in wind energy. And targeted R&I investments will be key to helping us get there.
To kick off a new cycle of activities supporting the alignment, coordination, and prioritisation of wind energy-related R&I policies, ETIPWind will host a stakeholder event bringing key experts from the wind industry and the world of research together, along with policymakers from the European Commission and Member States.
Do you want to know more about how wind energy can contribute to deliver REPowerEU? and what are the R&I solutions that Europe needs to focus on?
WindEurope EoLIS 2022 – Registration Opened!
When: 1-2 December
Where: Belgium
Europe’s wind turbine fleet is growing – but some of our oldest capacity is reaching the end of its operational life. As time goes by, several GWs of wind energy in Europe now faces an uncertain future. And the next steps aren’t straightforward. So the question is: What do we do with all these aging turbines?
WindEurope’s End-of-Life Issues and Strategies Seminar throws some light on this question, with two days of discussions and expert insights from across the industry. And this year it’s heading to Gent ICC, in Belgium, from 1-2 December.
What can you expect from the event?
- A look at today’s assets (experiences and outlooks for turbine repowering, lifetime extension and decommissioning).
- How to prepare for the future (business models, decision processes, circularity and new recyclable materials).
- The event programme features a special focus on collaborative learning, with time set aside after for networking and Q&As.
This debate will have huge implications for the industry in the years to come – so make sure to get involved! Registration is now open, and the programme is live. See you in December!
WindEurope Annual Event 2023
When: 25-27 April 2023
Where: Copenhagen
The biggest wind industry event of 2023, WindEurope’s Annual Event, returns to Copenhagen in six months’ time – from 25-27 April. Given everything that has happened in the last year, and the consequences it has had on our sector, there will definitely be a lot to grapple with – and a lot to plan for in the years ahead!
An exhibition stand is one way to help shape the future of the industry – and boost your own brand’s visibility. Over 400+ exhibitors will be present at the Bella Center, from across the length and breadth of the industry. That means lots of new potential contacts, business partners and deals that will leave a mark on wind energy in Europe for years to come.
So make your presence felt! You can get in touch with our team to see what options are still available as we are essentially sold out.
More info to come on the programme, features, and the networking opportunities very soon! Stay tuned.
Windflix – new releases live now!
This week we’ve added a new batch of videos, which you can watch here – covering the rapidly-evolving responses to the energy crisis as well as other news from across the industry.
Check out the latest instalment of Giles & Pierre – looking at the EU’s new revenue caps and what they mean for wind. You can also take a look at Breaking Wind for a full round-up of other sector news – new offshore projects, onshore tech breakthroughs, sustainable turbine blades and more.
You can also check out all of our older content up to now – just click the link here. More content on the way soon!
