On Tuesday 24 October, the European Commission presented its ‘Wind package’ and ‘Energy Union Report 2023’, detailing the EU’s response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and the weaponisation of its energy supplies.
Action plan for the European wind energy sector
The aim of the wind energy plan is to substantially increase installed capacity and thus contribute to achieving the target of a 42.5% share of renewable energy in the EU’s overall energy consumption by 2030 (see EUROPE 13267/30).
However, the sector faces many challenges, such as insufficient and uncertain demand, slow and complex authorisation procedures, lack of access to raw materials, high inflation and commodity prices, unfavourable national tenders, lack of skilled labour and increased pressure from international competitors, particularly China.
In response to these difficulties, the plan is structured around six areas of action (see EUROPE 13275/5), one of which is to speed up the issuing of permits, which “can take 7 years for onshore wind and sometimes 10 years for offshore wind”, according to a senior European official.
The European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, deplored the fact that, “in the EU, four times more wind power capacity is in the process of being authorised than is under construction. This situation must be rectified”.
She also indicated that the Commission would present an action plan for “the necessary development” of electricity networks next month.
In an earlier version of the plan (see EUROPE 13275/5), the Commission envisaged extending the emergency regulation on licensing procedures, which expires next year (EUROPE 13088/5). This is no longer included. The document simply states that the Commission “is currently carrying out a review of the Emergency Regulation on permitting in the context of the ongoing assessment on the need to prolong the validity of the emergency regulations”.
The plan has been released with a communication on the deployment of offshore wind energy, based on the 2020 offshore renewable energy strategy.
In order to achieve the target of 111 GW of production capacity by 2030 for the deployment of offshore renewable energies, we need to go from 1.2 GW installed in 2022 to an average of 12 GW per year by 2030, i.e. a tenfold increase.
To see the wind energy plan, go to https://aeur.eu/f/98a
To see the communication on offshore wind power, go to https://aeur.eu/f/98b
Eighth Report on the State of the Energy Union
The State of the Energy Union Report 2023, for its part, looks in detail at the EU’s collective response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and the weaponisation of energy exports, notably by reducing gas demand by more than 18% (compared to the last 5 years).
The REPowerEU plan and emergency legislative measures have also helped to avoid energy supply disruptions and promote renewable energies. “In 2022, 39% of electricity was generated by renewable sources and, in May 2023, wind and solar surpassed for the first time total fossil electricity generation”, says the report.
The EU is also well prepared to ensure its energy security over the coming winter, thanks to gas storage (98% of capacity filled), diversification of import routes, investment in renewable energies and efforts to reduce energy demand.
Greenhouse gas emissions, meanwhile, are estimated to have fallen by 3% last year, amounting to a reduction of 32.5% compared with 1990.
However, the report stresses the need to guarantee affordable and reliable energy for households, boost industrial competitiveness and support investment in clean technologies.
To see the report on the State of the Energy Union, go to https://aeur.eu/f/98c (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)