The EU’s Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA), which aims to strengthen the bloc’s clean energy supply chains, is potentially a “backward step” for the wind industry, said WindEurope.
The body said the suggestion that the new pre-qualification criteria should only apply to 20% of projects to begin with goes against the Wind Power Package which says they should apply to all projects.
“For wind, it sends it a signal that we only want high European standards for 20% of projects – the other 80% can go to non-European manufacturers,” stated WindEurope.
Wind is 19% of the electricity consumed in Europe. Nearly all of Europe’s wind turbines are made in Europe.
Europe’s wind energy supply chain is big – over 250 factories spread across nearly every EU Member State. 300,000 people work in wind in Europe today.
Europe’s wind supply chain has been struggling with costs increasing while competition from Chinese turbine manufacturers has intensified.
The EU responded with the Wind Power Package of 15 immediate measures to strengthen Europe’s wind industry, followed by 26 Member States endorsing these actions by signing a European Wind Charter.
These actions include the tightening of pre-qualification criteria to raise the bar on what sort of wind turbines can be built in Europe – commitments on cybersecurity and data residency and responsible business conduct.
WindEurope has suggested the European Parliament and EU Member States need to ensure, as they finalise NZIA, that pre-qualification criteria can apply immediately and that Governments take a technology-specific approach to pre-qualification criteria.