The German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) has announced the results of its latest offshore wind tender for pre-investigated areas, awarding a total of 5,500 MW of capacity across three sites in the North Sea. However, the tender has raised concerns within the industry about investor interest and transparency. Key points of the tender results: Three [...]
In a surprising turn of events, Ørsted has found itself embroiled in a high-profile lawsuit filed by Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The legal action, which also targets other major companies and the World Federation of Advertisers, alleges a coordinated advertising boycott that X claims has cost the platform billions [...]
The Federal Cabinet adopted the import strategy for hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives on 24 July 2024. The import strategy sets out a clear and reliable framework for the urgently needed imports of hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives to Germany. It is a key component of Germany’s hydrogen policy and supports the German government’s commitment to developing the domestic [...]
The European Commission has announced that three more projects have obtained the status required to be part of the List of Renewable Energy Cross-border Projects (CB RES list) under the Connecting Europe Facility for Energy (CEF Energy). One of theme is BEI - Bornholm Energy Island. The list, launched for the first time in August [...]
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Prysmian, world leader in the power and telecom cables sector, have signed a new, €450 million finance contract to facilitate electricity transmission and distribution in Europe. With a view to meeting the growing demand for renewable energy in general and offshore wind in particular, Prysmian will use the EIB [...]
Every five years, EU leaders agree on the EU’s political priorities for the future. This takes place in the context of the European Parliament elections and ahead of the appointment of each European Commission. Strategic Agenda for the period 2024-2029 sets the EU’s priorities and its strategic orientations for the next institutional cycle. As such, [...]
A guidance document outlining ways in which investment frameworks for cross-border offshore grid and renewable projects can be organised most efficiently has been published by the European Commission. It will support EU countries, national regulatory authorities and system operators in their discussions on cost-sharing agreements for achieving EU countries’ regional offshore renewable targets. The guidelines [...]
Germany and the Netherlands have recently issued the results of their latest offshore wind auction. They awarded a total capacity of 6.5 GW. That’s good for Europe’s energy transition. But the auction design in both countries included negative bidding. This puts unnecessary additional pressure on offshore wind developers – with adverse consequences for the wider [...]
The Council of the EU formally adopted the – first of its kind – regulation on nature restoration on june 17th. This law aims to put measures in place to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. It sets specific, [...]
Joint statement from WindEurope, Cefic, Eurofer, Eurometaux and Cembureau has been released today in Brussels. Organizations call to couple the EU Green Deal with an Industrial Deal. The document entitled "Advancing the Green Deal. Setting a new Industrial Deal. Securing Europe’s Prosperity" states that the European Green Deal has set the course for Europe’s transition [...]
Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego wants to sign agreements on the implementation of the National Recovery Plan with the ministries of climate and state assets in June, said BGK Vice President of the Management Board Marta Postuła. "We are the entity that negotiates the terms of signing the NRP implementation with the ministries that are responsible for [...]
In light of growing challenges of the energy transition, the Baltic Sea region is becoming a key area for offshore wind energy development in the European Union. International cooperation, coordinated by the European Commission and supported by numerous regional and inter-state initiatives, plays a fundamental role in this process. Below, we outline the main initiatives [...]
The European Sea Port Organisation (ESPO) has released its comprehensive Port Investments Study 2024, providing an in-depth analysis of the future investment needs of European ports. Authored by Dr. Peter de Langen, this study outlines a projected requirement of approximately €80 billion over the next decade to meet the evolving demands of the port sector, [...]
The improved rotor blade certification standard was updated through a long-term joint industry project (JIP) to reflect the latest needs of wind turbine owners and manufacturers to ensure safe and reliable rotor blades DNV, the independent energy expert and assurance provider, has led an innovative initiative resulting in the revision of the DNV-ST-0376 rotor blade [...]
The BEMIP Offshore Wind Working Group is implementing strategic priorities for 2024 to further advance offshore renewable energy in the Baltic Sea region. With a substantial potential of over 93 GW for offshore wind energy, the focus is on capitalizing on this resource while enhancing regional cooperation. During the Energy Security Summit held in Marienborg, [...]
Leading experts from across the Alliance met at NATO Headquarters on Thursday (23 May 2024) for the first meeting of NATO’s new Critical Undersea Infrastructure Network. With rising challenges to undersea infrastructure, the Alliance is putting in place new tools to enhance the security of undersea cables and pipelines and to monitor potential threats. NATO [...]
Today is the second anniversary of REPowerEU, the EU’s energy policy response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. REPowerEU has sped up the permitting of wind farms and helped raise the share of wind in Europe’s electricity mix – it’s now 19%. The EU have now launched new initiatives to keep the momentum of REPowerEU by [...]
In the updated Recommendation on speeding up permit-granting procedures and its accompanying guidance adopted yesterday, the Commission highlights ways to improve planning and permitting procedures for renewable energy and related infrastructure projects in the EU. The updated permitting guidance provides examples of good practice on faster and simpler permit-granting procedures, highlights the importance of digitalisation [...]
As reported by REUTERS in an article published on 8 May this year, Siemens Energy, one of the leading suppliers to the power industry, has unveiled fundamental changes to its wind energy division. Board member Vinod Philip will become the new CEO of the Siemens Gamesa wind turbine division from August. These moves, which also [...]
A new call for proposals for key cross-border EU energy infrastructure projects worth up to €850 million from the EU budget is being launched by the Commission. Organised by the Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), the call is open to projects included on the recently approved list of Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) and Projects of [...]
On 28 November the EU Commission launched an Action Plan for Grids – a 14-point plan to modernise Europe’s electricity grid and prepare for the renewables-based electrification of the energy system. It says €584bn of new investments are required by 2030 to upgrade Europe’s grids. Absolutely. And these investments can’t come soon enough. The current [...]
The BEMIP Offshore Wind Working Group is implementing strategic priorities for 2024 to further advance offshore renewable energy in the Baltic Sea region. With a substantial potential of over 93 GW for offshore wind energy, the focus is on capitalizing on this resource while enhancing regional cooperation. During the Energy Security Summit held in Marienborg, [...]
The European Commission has published the first list of Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) and Projects of Mutual Interest (PMIs) in the Official Journal of the European Union. The selected projects will help to achieve the ambitious energy and climate objectives of the European Green Deal. The 166 projects on the list will benefit from streamlined permit-granting [...]
The Energy Ministers of 8 Baltic Sea countries - Lithuania, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Poland and Sweden - agreed the Vilnius Declaration, pledging closer collaboration to secure critical offshore energy infrastructure in the Baltic Sea region. This comes after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and various acts of sabotage to energy infrastructure in the [...]
The transmission system operator 50Hertz has restructured its organizational setup to effectively tackle the demanding investment and construction program anticipated in the coming years. This restructuring entails expanded and new responsibilities at the management level. Stefan Kapferer, Chairman of the Management Board, stated, "We are now entering a new phase of the company. We are [...]
The conclusion of China's National People's Congress (NPC) in March 2024 has brought to light concerning implications for global trade dynamics, particularly within the high-technology and clean energy sectors. A recent research from Rhodium Group highlights the exacerbating overcapacity issues within China's industrial landscape, posing significant challenges for both domestic and international markets. The policy [...]
Sweden is on the cusp of a significant surge in demand for fossil-free electricity, yet uncertainties in the investment landscape loom large. Currently, Sweden lacks mechanisms to distribute risks for large-scale electricity production investments. To address this gap, Svensk Vindenergi commissioned ELS Analysis to compile a report on Contracts for Difference (CfD), a tool for [...]
A 4850 km track of new 400 kV lines, 28 new and 110 modernized substations and an onshore DC line are part of the investment plans of Polish grid operator - Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne PSE - until 2034. On Friday, March 15, the company presented for consultation a draft "Development Plan for Meeting Current and [...]
The European Commission has today adopted the first-ever EU network code on cybersecurity for the electricity sector. Foreseen under the Electricity Regulation (EU) 2019/943 (Article 59) and in the 2022 EU Action Plan to digitalise the energy system, this delegated act is an important step to improve the cyber resilience of critical EU energy infrastructure [...]
In a forward-thinking collaboration, DNV and Vaisala released extensive guidelines for using scanning lidars in a dual system configuration (DSL) for offshore Wind Resource Assessment (WRA). Dual scanning lidar is increasingly replacing meteorological masts for offshore wind park developments near the shore (up to 15 km), enabling offshore wind project developers to reduce extrapolation uncertainties [...]
The new law sets a target for the EU to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030 and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. The EU nature restoration law, agreed with member states, will restore degraded ecosystems in all member states, help achieve the EU’s climate and [...]
To accelerate the development of RES and carbon-neutral generation required for the energy transition, public support schemes will likely continue to play a role in the coming years. The provisionally agreed legislative proposals to reform of European Electricity Market Design, which will enter into force this year, prescribe two-sided Contracts for Difference (CfDs) as the [...]
The Offshore Network Development Plans (ONDP) is a new component of the TYNDP, delivering a high-level outlook of the needs of offshore transmission infrastructure. The first edition of the ONDP has been published on 23 January 2024. The plans translate EU Member States’ non-binding agreements on offshore goals from January 2023 into offshore transmission corridors, [...]
The Commission has published a call for evidence on design elements of renewable energy auctions. Interested stakeholders are invited to submit their feedback for 4 weeks until the call closes on 1 March 2024. The evidence collected through this call will help inform a Commission Recommendation and guidance document for EU countries on design elements [...]
The Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a third Important Project of Common European Interest (‘IPCEI') to support hydrogen infrastructure. This IPCEI is expected to boost the supply of renewable hydrogen, thereby reducing dependency on natural gas and helping to achieve the objectives of the European Green Deal and the REPowerEU Plan. The [...]
The deployment of offshore wind energy is at the core of delivering the European Green Deal. The Communication on achieving the EU’s offshore renewables ambitions (COM/2023/668), published in October 2023, underlines the Commission’s continued commitment to reaching the offshore renewables targets and takes stock of the progress achieved so far. It underlines the Member States’ [...]
On Tuesday, 6th of February, the European Parliament and the Council reached a final agreement on the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA). The Act will help strengthen Europe’s clean tech manufacturing and contribute to ensuring that the future of wind energy is “made in Europe”. At the heart of the NZIA deal is the design [...]
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. Costs went up [...]
The industry associations of the German offshore wind industry and the non-profit OFFSHORE-WINDENERGIE foundation presented yesterday the expansion figures for the full year 2023. The figures prepared by the consulting company Deutsche WindGuard show that a total of 27 turbines with a capacity of 257 megawatts (MW) fed into the electricity grid for the first [...]
In a significant stride towards achieving the European Union's ambitious decarbonization goals, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) has unveiled the first-ever Offshore Network Development Plans (ONDPs) as part of its Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) for 2024. This groundbreaking initiative marks a crucial step in deploying offshore infrastructure across European [...]
The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) published EU Offshore Network Development Plans (ONDPs). The ONDPs are the first comprehensive cross-border review of existing offshore grid capacity and future offshore grid requirements at sea basin level. They will help to accelerate the expansion of offshore wind and facilitate the deployment of innovative [...]
On January 18, The Bundesnetzagentur published a key elements paper on the future of cost and incentive regulation in the electricity and gas network sectors. "Network operators are successfully making considerable efforts to meet the challenges of the energy transition. We want to provide even more support to them in this endeavour. Over the years, [...]
On 11 January 2024, the founding General Assembly of the Polish Chamber of Offshore Wind Energy (PIMEW), which will be a continuation of the Polish Offshore Wind Energy Society (PTMEW), was held in Gdynia. The founding members officially approved the statutes. Jakub Budzyński was appointed President of the Polish Chamber of Offshore Wind Energy (PIMEW). [...]
The Commission published in December its assessment of EU Member States' draft National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) and issued recommendations to assist Member States in raising their ambitions in line with EU targets for 2030. The final Plans must be submitted by 30 June 2024. The draft updated NECPs bring us closer to meeting [...]
The EU’s ambition to advance wind energy took two further steps forward in the margins of today’s Energy Council in Brussels, following up on two of the measures outlined in the recent European Wind Power Action Plan. Firstly, the vast majority of Member States and many leading wind industry representatives have signed up to a [...]
In October the European Commission published the Wind Power Package: 15 immediate actions to strengthen the competitiveness of Europe’s wind value chain. The European Commission and European Investment Bank are delivering on their bits of the package already. But the bulk of the actions fall to National Governments. So today the Energy Ministers of 23 [...]
On Wednesday, 13th December 2023, the European Parliament and the Council reached an agreement on the EU’s electricity market design revision. The deal is a good compromise which will help restore the confidence of renewables investors. Crucially it avoids permanently enshrining inframarginal revenue caps in the EU’s electricity market design. Europe needs more renewables as [...]
The Board of Directors of the European Investment Bank (EIB) today approved a €5 billion tailored initiative to support wind energy equipment manufacturing companies. The financing is part of the EIB’s contribution to the European Wind Power Package, and is designed to further accelerate a just and swift transition to net zero, while boosting home-grown [...]
The recent press release from the Bundesverband Windenergie Offshore e.V. (BWO) regarding the federal port strategy signifies a commendable step in the right direction. The statement acknowledges the pivotal role that ports play in unlocking both economic and energy policy success. By recognizing ports as key elements in the offshore wind industry, the strategy under [...]
The European Technology & Innovation Platform on wind energy (ETIPWind) launched its new Strategic R&I Agenda for the period 2025-2027. It calls for €1.8bn of public investment in wind energy research and innovation to boost the development of a resilient, competitive and sustainable European wind supply chain. On 4 December leading wind industry Chief Technology [...]
178 billion zlotys of added value for the Polish economy, a decrease in CO2 emissions by approx. 102 million tons per year, more than 100,000 new jobs. The Polish economy will reap a number of macroeconomic benefits as long as the Polish government takes measures to facilitate the emergence of offshore wind farms. Simplifying permitting [...]
Minister of Climate and the Environment Kai Mykkänen appointed a working group, whose task is to find ways to promote offshore wind power in Finland. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment will also launch a legislative project on offshore wind power located in Finland’s exclusive economic zone. The measures will implement the objective of [...]
European Union is working on new list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI) and Projects of Mutual Interest (PMI) in the areas of electricity, offshore, hydrogen, smart grids and cross-border carbon dioxide networks. According to draft list –it identifies, among others, Priority Corridor Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan in electricity (BEMIP Electricity), Priority Corridor Baltic [...]
As Lithuania seeks to develop offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea and reduce the country’s dependence on electricity import, the Environmental Protection Agency has approved the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report on the offshore wind farm commissioned by the Ministry of Energy. The tender to select the developer of the 700 megawatt (MW) wind [...]
The recent decisions made by the Moderates – governing party in Sweden at their congress in Umeå regarding Sweden's climate policy have the potential to usher in a new era for the wind energy sector. Swedish Wind Energy Association welcomes these changes, which not only streamline the permitting process but also prioritize electrification, enhance legal [...]
The European Commission has unveiled a communication, "Delivering on the EU offshore renewable energy ambitions," which is a pivotal part of the European Wind Package adopted on October 24, 2023. This communication represents a significant leap forward in the journey toward a more sustainable and renewable energy landscape for the European Union. Offshore renewables are [...]
In her State of the Union speech in September 2023 EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the current challenges faced by Europe’s wind energy industry. She committed to ensure the future of wind energy was ‘made in Europe’ - and promised a new package to support the wind industry. Today the Commission unveiled [...]
Achieving the recently agreed EU target of at least 42.5% renewable energy by 2030, with an ambition to reach 45% renewables, will require a massive increase in wind installed capacity with an expected growth from 204 GW in 2022 to more than 500 GW in 2030. While the wind power sector is a historical EU [...]
BalticWind.EU saw leaked Communication from the European Commission “European Wind Power Action Plan” that is supposed to be adopted on 24 October. We present below summary of this document. As a part of the Wind Power Package - Together with this Action Plan, the Commission will adopt a Communication on delivering on the Offshore Renewable [...]
Following the European Commission’s approval of the support scheme for offshore wind farm development, and after public consultations with market participants, the Ministry of Energy proposes to launch the second offshore wind farm tender on 15 January 2024. The proposal by the Ministry of Energy still needs to be approved by the Government. “Offshore wind [...]
Lithuania is preparing for the second offshore wind auction: on Tuesday, the Ministry of Energy, together with offshore wind park developers and those interested in offshore wind park development, held a public consultation to discuss the preparations for the auction, the terms and conditions of the auction, and the planned date of the procurement. "Offshore [...]
The road to strengthening Poland's energy security through the use of the sea has been opened. October 2, 2023, the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure organized a conference "Offshore - concessions in Polish maritime areas", summarizing the process of issuing permits for the construction of offshore wind farms. - Building an offshore wind energy sector is [...]
Sensoria™ by MISTRAS Group, an innovative 24/7/365 wind blade monitor, is pleased to announce a collaboration with Danish blade specialist Bladena to provide an innovative solution to help maximize offshore wind blade integrity and uptime. As larger offshore blades are more likely to fail than smaller onshore blades, the collaboration combines Sensoria’s cutting-edge blade monitoring technology with Bladena’s [...]
In a cabinet meeting on Thursday, 17th of August, the Estonian government gave its backing to the green reform action plan for 2023-2025 drafted by the Government Office. The plan brings together almost 300 different actions in fields ranging from energy to the circular economy. It aims to reduce negative environmental impact, to foster entrepreneurship [...]
An environmental decision has appeared for the 400 kV Choczewo - Żarnowiec line, which was made by the Regional Director of Environmental Protection in Gdańsk. Officials have issued an environmental decision for the construction of the project. The decision was announced on social media by Anna Trzeciakowska, Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure. https://twitter.com/AnnaTrzeciakow3/status/1686258445387800576?s=20 [...]
Dieter Janecek, Federal Government Coordinator for the Maritime Industry and for Tourism, welcomes the agreement which was reached at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on the 7th of July 2023. He said: "Today is an important day for the mitigation of climate change: IMO has adopted more stringent climate targets to foster the decarbonisation of [...]
The trade associations of the German offshore wind industry and the German Offshore Wind Energy Foundation yesterday presented the expansion figures for the first half of 2023. According to the figures prepared by the consulting firm Deutsche WindGuard, 24 offshore wind turbines with a capacity of 229 megawatts (MW) were newly connected to the grid [...]
The Lithuanian National Energy Regulatory Council (NERC) has adopted a decision to approve the maximum transaction price of EUR 107.18/MWh for the purchase and sale of electricity from renewable energy sources and the minimum transaction price threshold of EUR 64.31/MWh. These prices will be used for the second tender for a 700 MW offshore wind [...]
Yesterday, Germany announced the results of its biggest offshore wind auction to date. 7 GW of new capacity were awarded. The auction design required project developers to pay for the right to build their wind farms. This uncapped negative bidding means costs will have to be passed on to consumers, and to the wind supply [...]
In response to the maritime motion put forward by the government factions, Stefan Thimm, the Managing Director of BWO (German Association of Offshore Wind Farm Operators), stresses the significance of a robust maritime economy for the success of the maritime energy transition. Thimm highlights the immense potential for Germany and its European partners in expanding [...]
Spain assumes the Presidency in the second half of 2023, from July 1 to December 31, in a period of great challenges for the Member States and the European Union as a whole. The Spanish Presidency has established four priorities for its semester. Wind energy will play an important role within the Green Transition and [...]
Legislative actions taken by the Ministry of Climate and Environment for the development of offshore wind energy, as well as investments in power grids to derive power from offshore wind farms, were the issues discussed at the 6th meeting of the Offshore Wind Energy Coordinating Council. The meeting, held on June 30, 2023, was chaired [...]
On the 10th of August 2023 the Danish Energy Agency will hold a market dialogue on a potential transition scheme for the open door scheme. On the 1st of February 2023 the Danish Energy Agency suspended the offshore open door procedure until further clarification of the open door scheme conflict with EU law. In continuation [...]
Lloyd’s Register (LR) (under the Lloyd’s Register Marine Limited entity) has been authorised by the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure to conduct certification of offshore wind farms in accordance with the requirements introduced by the Polish Ministry in 2022. This authorisation will enable LR to continue certifying offshore wind farm projects globally, as it has done [...]
Poland has received PLN 4.4 billion in funding from the EU's Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for transportation projects. June 21, 2023, a meeting of the CEF Coordinating Committee was held to approve the results of the competition. Poland repeated its success from the CEF Transport 2021 competition and once again ranked first in terms of [...]
On June 20th, the Swedish parliament approved the government's proposal to amend the energy policy goal for the composition of electricity production from "100 percent renewable electricity production by 2040" to "100 percent fossil-free electricity production by 2040." However, the majority of fossil fuels used in Sweden are outside the current electricity system. Sweden now [...]
European market for corporate Power Purchase Agreements (cPPA) with offshore wind farms is experiencing substantial growth, with notable contracts being signed by large energy consumers in the years 2022 and 2023 like Google, Amazon, Mercedes Benz or Umicore. Recognizing this evolving market and the immense potential of cPPAs in the offshore wind sector, RE-Source Poland [...]
On June 16, the member states of the European Union approved a comprehensive redesign of the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED) in the Committee of Permanent Representatives. The European target for renewable energies will thus be significantly increased from 32% to 45% in 2030. This means a doubling of the share of renewable energies compared [...]
Agreement on Denmark's Marine Plan strengthens nature protection of the sea, the development of renewable energy and more sustainable development of fisheries. In a time marked by increased global tensions, the need for a green transition, protection of nature and development of the fishing industry, the government, together with all the parties in the Parliament, [...]
The government and a broad majority of political parties have made an agreement, establishing the framework for the coming 9 GW offshore wind tenders, with operations starting in the end of 2030 at the latest. The Danish Energy Agency is currently working on converting the agreed upon requirements into transparent tender conditions and the next [...]
CEOs and other executives from the Transmission System Operators (TSOs) of the Baltic Sea countries met in Berlin to further intensify cooperation. The meeting was attended by AST (Latvia), Elering (Estonia), Energinet (Denmark), Fingrid (Finland), Litgrid (Lithuania), PSE (Poland), Statnett (Norway) and Svenska Kraftnät (Sweden). The companies' managers gave a positive assessment of how the [...]
On the 3rd of May, The Swedish government presented how they want to conduct a better assessment of offshore wind development. In its commentary, Svensk Vindenergi (the Swedish Wind Energy Association), welcomes clearer long-term rules in the field, but at the same time stresses that right now the top priority must be to decide on [...]
Following the Government’s approval of the location for the development of an offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea and the requirements for tenderers, the National Energy Regulatory Council (NERC) will launch a tender for the selection of a developer on 30 March. “Generating electricity from renewable sources allows us to move purposefully towards energy [...]
The European Commission presented its Green Deal Industrial Plan today. It consists of a Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) aiming to strengthen the EU’s industrial base for clean technologies, a Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) to increase Europe’s capacity to source and refine critical raw materials, and more flexible State aid rules. As is stands [...]
According to the information posted by the Lithuanian Wind Power Association (LWEA) the government of the Republic of Lithuania has approved the requirements for developers of offshore wind farms without state aid. The tender should be announced by National Energy Regulatory Council on March 30th. The results will be announced in June-July. The conditions for bidders indicated [...]
Today, the Commission has proposed to reform the EU's electricity market design to accelerate a surge in renewables and the phase-out of gas, make consumer bills less dependent on volatile fossil fuel prices, better protect consumers from future price spikes and potential market manipulation, and make the EU's industry clean and more competitive. The EU [...]
The European Commission has proposed a targeted revision of the EU’s electricity market design. It makes Contracts-for-Difference the new norm for supporting renewables investments. It also allows investors to sell their electricity via Power Purchase Agreements or directly on the electricity market. And it actively supports the growth of PPAs. The Council and Parliament must [...]
The Danish Energy Agency reopens two projects On 1 February 2023, the Danish Energy Agency suspended the processing of 33 open-door projects pending further clarification of EU legal issues. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Supply has now assessed that the establishment permits issued by the Danish Energy Agency in autumn 2022 for Aflandshage Offshore [...]
Danish municipalities stand to receive an injection of DKK 1-2 billion. DKK from 28 offshore wind projects, which a number of developers want to build without government support, but which have been put on hold. Green Power Denmark calls it crucial that the case is resolved quickly. A looped park at Hirtshals Harbour, a larger [...]
The European Commission is preparing a Net Zero Industry Act and changes to Europe’s Electricity Market Design. CEOs of Europe’s leading energy companies say it’s essential to get the detail right in these proposals. Francesco Starace, CEO Enel: “The energy transition must accelerate if we want to deliver stable, secure and competitive electricity to our [...]
Heavy industries and ICT sector signed most of power purchase agreements (PPA) with offshore wind farms in 2021 and 2022, as the European PPA market expect some further boost from the EU power market overhaul being drafted by the European Commission. A Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is a long-term contract under which businesses are purchasing green electricity [...]
A Russian ship wanted to spy on Dutch wind farms: What is the security situation at German offshore wind farms and what protective measures must be taken now to protect critical infrastructure from Russian espionage and sabotage? BWO Managing Director Stephen Thimm comments: "Offshore wind energy is part of the critical infrastructure of the Federal [...]
Poland's offshore potential is up to 33GW of clean, green energy Electricity from the first Polish wind farm in the Baltic Sea will flow as early as 2026. There has not yet been such a dynamically developing renewable energy technology in Poland, or even in the world. In the Polish part of the Baltic Sea, preparatory work is [...]
Paweł Wróbel, BalticWind.EU: What is the history of location allocation for farm investors in Denmark? How does it currently look like for new sites? Mette Cramer Buch, Chief Advisor, Centre for Global Cooperation of the Danish Energy Agency: Historically, de-risking has been a focus area for the development of our tender model. It's been at [...]
Most new offshore wind farms in Denmark are established after a tendering procedure, however, the Open Door procedure is also applicable. In the Open Door procedure, a project developer takes the initiative to establish an offshore wind farm of a self-selected size and location. In such a scenario, The Energy Agency must grant three permits [...]
Investments in wind energy in Europe fell in 2022. Orders for new wind turbines were down 47% on 2021. There was not a single investment in an offshore wind farm. The problem is inflation, with costs rising at a higher rate than prospective revenues. Investors are also being turned away by unhelpful national interventions in [...]
Offshore wind projects may receive support from 2023 Call for Cross-Border RES (CB RES) projects opened by the European Union. So far two offshore wind projects in the Baltic Sea benefit from a newly established EU programme under Connecting Europe Facility whose objective is to foster the uptake of renewable energy by providing financial support to [...]
As the electricity prices are soaring fueled by war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia, German government is seeking ways to shield the competitiveness of its industry hit by rising costs. Berlin is reportedly working on a mechanism linking power prices for industrial customers to the cost of offshore wind farms. Although Berlin has introduced [...]
The Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson presented the programme of the Swedish Presidency of the Council during the plenary session of the European Parliament today. Below we present priorities for energy, environment and climate of the Swedish Presidency from 1 January until 30 June 2023. Energy The EU must be well-equipped for next winter and to address [...]
The Minister of Infrastructure has announced that in the location permit for area 53.E.1, no applicant has achieved the qualifying minimum. This concerns 1 of the 11 areas to be allocated to investors under the so called PSZW for the second phase of the Polish offshore. The decision of 2 January 2023 relates to area [...]