The EU installed 15GW of new wind farms in 2022, a third more than 2021, according to WindEurope.
This increase in new installations is an encouraging result given the overlapping challenges the industry faced in 2022, the representative body said. In terms of new capacity installed Germany, Sweden and Finland are leading the way, followed by Spain and France.WindEurope found that 90% of the new wind capacity was onshore wind, which were nearly all in new greenfield sites. However, it said that 15GW still falls significantly short of what Europe needs to build to deliver on its climate and energy security targets.
The shortfall is largely due to permitting bottlenecks, with 80GW of wind energy projects are currently stuck in permitting procedures across Europe.
In addition, in the first 11 months of 2022 the total new investments in wind farms in the EU covered only 12GW of new capacity.
WindEurope chief executive Giles Dickson said: “15GW new wind in 2022 is not too bad given the challenges faced last year by Europe’s wind industry.
‘It’s not enough for the EU’s energy targets, but Governments know the latter can only be achieved if they simplify the permitting rules and procedures – and there are now signs of progress on this.
“Less encouraging is the slowdown in investments in new wind farms. Confusion about electricity market rules is turning investors away.
“The EU must make Europe an attractive place for renewables investments again.”