Meeting in Strasbourg for a plenary session of the European Parliament, MEPs adopted by a very large majority (518 votes in favour, 88 against and 85 abstentions), on Tuesday 15 February, the draft own-initiative report by Morten Petersen (Renew Europe, Denmark) calling to accelerate the deployment of offshore renewable energy.
“We need lots of green electricity to fulfil our climate objectives and the offshore renewable energy strategy is absolutely essential in this regard”, said Mr Petersen after the vote.
Written in response to the European Commission’s November 2020 strategy on offshore renewables (see EUROPE 12605/12), the report calls on the Commission to, among other things, carry out an impact assessment clarifying the economic and socio-economic consequences of offshore renewables, with a focus on existing jobs and those created by the deployment of 300 to 450 GW of capacity by 2050.
In its strategy, the Commission aims for 60 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and 300 GW by 2050, as well as at least 1 GW of ocean energy (wave or tidal energy) capacity by 2030 and 40 GW by 2050.
Strengthening cooperation between Member States
The report also 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.
Speeding up licensing
In order to support the deployment of offshore renewables, Parliament insists on the need to shorten the procedures for launching projects.
It therefore calls on Member States to establish a transparent process and to consider introducing time limits for issuing permits where necessary.
Promoting circularity
Affirming that offshore wind farms can benefit biodiversity, Parliament stresses the importance of adopting “a comprehensive holistic life-cycle approach”, ensuring a circular design of offshore renewables and minimising their negative environmental impacts.
The report calls for an EU-wide ban on the disposal of decommissioned wind turbine blades by 2025 and calls on the Commission to address the need for a strategy on the sustainable decommissioning of offshore installations.
In addition, MEPs stress the importance of ensuring the coexistence of these installations with other activities such as fishing and maritime transport, as well as public acceptance of wind turbines through the involvement of local stakeholders.
The report also calls for phasing out fossil fuels and fossil fuel subsidies “as soon as possible”, while highlighting the opportunity offered by the Next Generation EU stimulus fund to invest in offshore renewables.
The Commission’s reaction
In a debate on the subject on the eve of the vote, Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson warmly welcomed Parliament’s proposals, including the call for an impact assessment and a ban on the disposal of decommissioned wind turbine blades by 2025.
She also recalled that the Commission intends to present, by this summer, new guidelines on best practices to combat the overly complex and lengthy administrative procedures that slow down the launch of offshore renewable projects.
See the report: https://aeur.eu/f/cm (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)