After approving all the compromise amendments negotiated between the different groups in the European Parliament, MEPs of the Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) adopted by a large majority (57 votes in favour, 10 against and 7 abstentions), on Tuesday 30 November, the amended draft report by Morten Petersen (Renew Europe, Denmark), stressing the need to accelerate the deployment of offshore renewable energy, including in deep waters, to meet the EU’s 2030 and 2050 climate targets.
Calling for the EU to have between 300 GW and 450 GW of offshore renewable energy capacity by 2050, the report stresses the importance of improving the current legal framework in order to further facilitate collaboration between Member States and the different actors involved, as well as with third countries.
In particular, MEPs call for a joint definition of the amount of offshore renewable generation to be deployed by Member States in each sea basin in 2030, 2040 and 2050.
They also urge the European Commission to put in place a framework to transparently monitor the progress of offshore renewable energy deployment and to assess whether Member States are on the right track.
Accelerate procedures
To boost the deployment of offshore renewables, MEPs call for the process of launching offshore renewable projects to be accelerated and invite Member States to consider introducing deadlines for issuing permits.
Circularity
Furthermore, the report stresses the importance of adopting “a comprehensive holistic life-cycle approach”, ensuring a circular design of offshore renewables and minimising their negative environmental impacts.
To this end, MEPs want to see an EU-wide landfill ban on decommissioned wind turbine blades by 2025. They also invite the Commission to carry out an analysis of the impact of decommissioning offshore installations and to adopt, if necessary, a strategy on the sustainable decommissioning of these installations.
The report also stresses the need to phase out fossil fuels and fossil fuel subsidies “as soon as possible” and the importance of building a broad public consensus around offshore renewable projects by involving local stakeholders.
See the compromise amendments adopted: https://bit.ly/3E8SA5j (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)