Europe is not building enough new wind energy to reach its energy and climate targets, according to WindEurope’s Annual Statistics 2021.
The report found that the EU built only 11GW of new wind farms in 2021 and is set to build 18GW a year over 2022-26.
However, the EU needs 30GW a year of new wind to meet its 2030 renewables target.
The slow expansion rate is impacting on Europe’s wind energy supply chain.
In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, WindEurope highlights the “poor health” of the European wind energy industry.
Europe as a whole installed 17.4GW of new wind power in 2021, bringing its total installed capacity to 236GW. The EU-27 installed 11GW of new wind.
Of the new wind capacity, 81% was located onshore.
The countries that built the most new wind last year were the UK, Sweden, Germany, Turkey and the Netherlands in that order.
Sweden built the most onshore wind; the UK built the most offshore wind.
The WindEurope Annual Statistics also looks ahead to the period 2022-2026.
We expect the EU to build on average 18GW a year of new wind farms over the next five years.
This is better than 2021 but still well below how much wind the EU should be building to meet its 40% renewable energy target for 2030.
Three quarters of the new installations over 2022-26 will still be onshore wind.
Germany is expected to install the most new wind capacity over the next five years followed by the UK, France, Spain and Sweden.
WindEurope chief executive Giles Dickson (pictured) said: “To reach its 40% renewable energy target for 2030, the EU needs to build 30GW of new wind a year.
“But it built only 11GW last year and is set to build only 18GW a year over the next five years.
“These low volumes undermine the Green Deal. And they’re hurting Europe’s wind energy supply chain.”
Most EU countries have ambitious national targets for the expansion of wind energy. But permitting remains the main bottleneck.
Europe is not permitting anything like the volumes of new wind farms needed, WindEurope said.
This was due to almost none of the Member States meeting the deadlines for permitting procedures required in the EU Renewable Energy Directive.
In addition, the permitting rules and procedures are too complex and approving authorities are not always adequately staffed.
In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, WindEurope explains how the low volumes of permitted projects are impacting Europe’s wind turbine manufacturers and wider supply chain.
And how the industry is also having to grapple with higher prices for steel and other commodities – and disrupted international supply chains.
In 2021 four out of Europe’s five wind turbine manufacturers were operating at a loss, WindEurope said.
Dickson added: “The European wind industry is losing money, closing factories and shedding jobs – just when it should be growing to meet the huge expansion of wind power Europe wants.
“If this continues, the Green Deal is in trouble, not to mention Europe’s energy security goals.
“Europe needs to act now to ensure its renewables ambitions can be delivered by European companies and European workers.
“The solutions are there: simplify permitting, boost innovation and ensure Governments recognise and reward the value the European industry brings to society, the environment and the energy transition.”