The European Commission’s Industrial Strategy, designed to support the delivery of the bloc’s Green Deal, needs to recognise wind as a key pillar, according to WindEurope.
The association said the launch of the Industrial Strategy is an opportunity to support the industries that will deliver the European Green Deal, with the “accelerated deployment” of wind energy a “pre-requisite” to the success of strategic new value chains such as low-carbon manufacturing, clean mobility and renewable hydrogen.
Not only that, Europe’s wind sector should be recognised as a “strategic” value chain in its own right, according to the trade group.
WindEurope wants to see the Commission’s Industrial Strategy document include measures such as an export strategy for renewables, so “Europeans can match Asian companies that currently out-compete us on terms of finance in non-EU markets”.
Wind power already supplies 15% of Europe’s electricity and employs over 300,000 people, represents more than €25bn of new investments and exports €8bn of goods and services every year.
The European Commission’s decarbonisation strategy says climate neutrality will need five times more wind energy capacity by 2050 than Europe has today.
“So wind is a natural pillar of the European Green Deal,” said WindEurope.
However the association also pointed out that the wind industry in Europe is under pressure “like never before”, with Europe is “at risk” of losing its global leadership on wind energy, and along with it tens of thousands of jobs in industry, research and innovation.
Wind has already lost over 38,000 jobs in Germany alone in the last four years, while China is now installing twice as much wind each year as Europe, according to the association.
“Competition with the Chinese in third country markets is getting tougher because they come with cheaper government-backed finance and benefit from structural overcapacities built on inflated subsidy regimes,” said WindEurope
The Industrial Strategy can send a strong signal that Europe wants its companies to stay global champions. And that the EU’s industrial policy will be a driver for strategic value chains that will help achieve climate neutrality, according to the trade group.
WindEurope chief executive Giles Dickson (pictured) said: “The EU needs five times more wind than it has today to go climate neutral. The question is: will these turbines be made in Europe?
“The European Green Deal can be the EU’s growth strategy as President von der Leyen said. This starts now with an Industrial Strategy that recognises wind energy. And ensures Climate neutrality translates into hundreds of thousands of wind jobs here in Europe.”