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 [...]

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 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 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 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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

The Council reached an agreement (general approach) on targeted amendments to the renewable energy directive, proposed under the REPowerEU plan. Member states will design dedicated ‘go-to areas' for renewables with shortened and simplified permitting processes in areas with lower environmental risks. This agreement is an important addition to the ongoing work on the renewable energy [...]