Chief executives from 22 European companies, including Orsted, RWE and Vattenfall, and 18 MEPs have called on the European Commission to ramp up renewable energy production across Europe.
In a letter to Commission president Ursula von der Leyen (pictured) and executive vice-president Frans Timmermans, the CEOs and MEPs said the EU should show more ambition and determination on clean power.
They added that a massive ramp-up of renewables must ensure that the EU renewable energy system is operational as soon as possible.
However, the EU’s Renewed Industrial Strategy falls short of this, but the upcoming legislative package offers another chance to set it right, the letter said.
It added: “Without a stronger European policy focus and increased investments boosting the availability of renewables for industrial use, we not only risk delaying needed GHG reductions, affecting industrial competitiveness but also our overall credibility to deliver on our common commitments.”
The letter then warned that the EU is far from the needed volumes and capacity of clean power to deliver industrial electrification.
“Only through the build-up of a truly European framework and by integrating national attempts, we will manage this successfully.”
Grid bottlenecks need to be abolished, cross-border interconnectors need to be enabled and barriers to renewables integration avoided.
“We must not fall behind in our actions. Now is the time to act and be resolute,” they said.
Other signatories include ArcelorMittal, BASF, Borealis, Iberdrola, Norsk Hydro, Siemens, Shell and TotalEnergies.