EU countries lagging behind on wind energy goals, WWF warns

Current wind energy deployment rates in European countries are not aligned with the EU’s climate change targets, according to a report published on Thursday (5 October) by the nature conservation NGO WWF.

Wind energy capacity in Europe is set to expand rapidly in the coming years. 

The EU’s newly revised Renewable Energy Directive has set a target of 42.5% for wind, solar and biomass in the EU’s overall energy mix by 2030, meaning EU countries will have to nearly double their current capacity in less than a decade. 

However, EU countries are currently not on track to reach this target, according to the WWF’s wind energy report, published on Thursday.

“Member States’ ambitions for wind deployment are broadly in line with the new RED targets – at least on paper,” said Arnaud Van Dooren, climate and energy policy officer at WWF Europe. 

“The question is whether they’ll be able to meet them,” he added, saying EU countries will have to exceed those targets in order to limit global warming to 1.5C, in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Only 10 EU countries’ wind energy plans are in line with the Paris Agreement, which calls for 50% of renewable energy by 2030, while the rest risks falling behind. 

EU lawmakers pass bill hiking renewable energy targets

The European Parliament gave its final approval on Tuesday (12 September) to legally binding targets to expand renewable energy faster this decade, a central part of Europe’s plans to curb climate change and shift away from fossil fuels.

People- and nature-centred planning

To achieve these targets, EU member states will have to accelerate their deployment of wind energy, which requires holistic planning.

Ecosystem- and people-based spatial planning could help reduce the environmental impacts stemming from the rapid deployment of onshore and offshore wind technologies, the report argues, saying this requires closer cooperation among government authorities, the private sector and civil society groups.  

Importantly, the transition to 100% renewable energy should not come at the expense of nature, the report stresses.

“If we’re going to expand wind power rapidly while minimising impacts on communities and nature, then early and effective planning that considers climate, nature and social goals in parallel is critical,” Van Dooren said. 

“The expansion of renewable energy requires holistic planning, otherwise we might end up impacting the very nature and people we seek to protect.”

France looks to hike offshore wind target above 40 GW

France’s targets for offshore wind power development would “probably” have to be revised upwards, Energy Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher said on Tuesday (20 June), noting that these would be in line with a working paper published by the Prime Minister’s office on 13 June.

Support for industry

Member states will also need to strengthen their administrative capacity in order to speed up permitting procedures, a key bottleneck for wind energy deployment.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a new Wind Power Package during her annual State of the Union speech in Parliament in September, putting the focus on skills, quicker permitting and a more stable supply chain.

The announcement was welcomed by industry association WindEurope, which says high inflation and disruptions to the supply of materials needed for the production of wind turbines were creating difficulties for European manufacturers.

“Manufacturers still have to swallow the extra costs, and are struggling to make big investments in new production capacities,” a spokesperson for WindEurope told Euractiv.

The need for higher offshore and onshore wind deployment will also translate into rising demand for skilled workers, with a workforce increase of up to 50% needed to meet the EU’s new renewable energy targets.

“Today wind energy employs 300,000 workers in Europe. WindEurope estimates that this number will have to grow to at least 450,000 by 2030,” the spokesperson said.

Financing for wind energy projects will also be essential to reach the EU’s renewable energy targets for 2030, the spokesperson added.

Beleaguered wind industry turns to European governments for help

While European governments boost their wind power ambitions, the industry is struggling with rising production costs and growing competition from China.

[Edited by Frédéric Simon/Nathalie Weatherald]

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