The proposed law will accelerate the procedure to grant permits for renewable energy power plants including offshore windmills. Key changes voted by Members of the European Parliament on Wednesday 14th December: renewables go-to area - a new definition is added in Article 2 of RED II Directive as well as an obligation for Member States [...]
The law freezing gas prices for residential consumers in 2023 includes a provision for the valorization of support for companies developing offshore wind energy in Poland. It was demanded by the industry due to rising inflation and project costs. Investors who obtained the right to cover the so-called negative balance based on the ERO's decision [...]
Poland's infrastructure ministry is expected to announce the results of offshore wind farm concession granting proceedings for five areas in the Baltic Sea at the turn of 2022 and for another six in May 2023. As part of the second round of offshore concession proceedings, a total of 11 concessions are to be put towards [...]
A Polish power grid operator (PSE) has presented a plan for the development of the transmission system until 2032. Offshore wind energy is one of the key areas of system transformation. It is followed by investments in infrastructure for power output from the Baltic Sea and its transmission to southern Poland. "Development Plan for Meeting [...]
The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27 closed on November 20th with an agreement to provide “loss and damage” funding for vulnerable countries hit hard by climate disasters. “This outcome moves us forward” said Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary. “We have determined a way forward on a decades-long conversation on funding for loss [...]
The real potential of offshore wind energy in Poland and the necessary changes in the regulatory framework to fully exploit this potential were the main topics of the Offshore Wind Poland conference organized by PWEA on 16 and 17 October in Warsaw. The industry is counting on rapid changes and resolutions. Deputy Minister for Climate [...]
For Poland, the Baltic has always been a window to the world. Today, it is also an opportunity for Poland to become independent from coal-based energy through the development of offshore wind energy in the Polish exclusive economic zone. This new industry could become the flywheel of the Polish energy transition, so necessary today. Stable [...]
The leaders of the Baltic Sea electricity transmission system operators met in Helsinki on 2nd of November to discuss the energy crisis in Europe and the electricity adequacy of the region. The transmission system operators of the Baltic Sea region actively cooperate and share information on the security and the electricity supply situation in the [...]
The German Federal Ministry for Economics and Climate Action has announced new targets for offshore wind energy. The plan is to accelerate offshore investment in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea - to reach a target of 30 GW in 2030, 50 GW in 2035 and even 70 GW by 2045. The agreement was [...]
Sunday 6 November saw the start of the COP27 Climate Change Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. The meeting, which will last until 18 November, takes place in the shadow of the ongoing energy crisis caused by Russia's war in Ukraine, as well as numerous extreme weather events around the world such as floods and droughts. [...]
Supplementary 5-weeks public hearing on the sea-based part of the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of the plan for Hesselø Offshore Wind Farm (OWF). The signatory parties of the Climate Agreement on green electricity and heat of 25 June 2022 have decided to move Hesselø Offshore Wind Farm to a more southern location (light-green area in the above [...]
At a joint conference on nature positive offshore energy infrastructure hosted by Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI) and WindEurope, the Offshore Coalition for Energy and Nature (OCEaN) confirmed that it is possible to speed up offshore wind and related electricity grid deployment while protecting and restoring nature. Offshore wind and related electricity grid infrastructure are imperative [...]
On 14 October, Daniel Badman, VD/CEO of the Swedish Wind Energy Association (Svensk Vindenergi), commented on the Tidö Agreement presented by the Moderate Coalition Party (Moderaterna), Christian Democrats, Liberals and Sweden Democrats. The political agreement is the basis for a deal that allows the formation of a government after the September parliamentary elections. According to [...]
Member states of the Baltic Sea region are supposed to agree their capacity goals for offshore renewable energy for 2030-2040-2050 by 24 January 2023 to enable the EU transmission operators’ network to devise a plan for the development of the strategic integrated offshore grid. The deadline is close, and the European Network of Transmission Operators [...]
Energy from wind farms in the Baltic Sea and increased electrification of the region is a way to strengthen security of energy supply and ultimately to reduce dependence on fossil fuels imported from Russia - such was the conclusion of a recent webinar by the BEMIP (Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan) working group. However, in [...]
As WindEurope points out in their position paper – governments must help citizens and businesses cope with very high energy prices. This is especially important in the context of up to 10-fold increases in energy prices over the past year, which was caused by the high price of gas. This [...]
As of 4 April 2022, the Danish Energy Agency (Energistyrelsen) has received 47 applications within the framework of the so-called open-door program. 16 of them were rejected due to overlap with state land reservations. The agency has received a number of applications for very large projects (capacity of more than [...]
On 30 August 2022 the Heads of Governments and Energy Ministers of the 8 countries around the Baltic Sea signed the Marienborg Declaration. They committed to new volumes for the build-out of offshore wind in the Baltic Sea and agreed to cooperate more closely on it and on energy more [...]
The Commission is analysing the regulation adopted by Poland on 27 November 2021. The Commission is in particular, assessing the compliance with Articles 15(1) and 4(4) of the Renewable Energy Directive (REDII) as well as Articles 3(4) and 8(1) of the Electricity Directive. […]
On final reading on July 14, the Latvian Parliament approved amendments to the Energy Law and the Electricity Market Law prepared by the Ministry of Economics, contributing to strengthening Latvia’s energy security and independence. The new legislation will promote the development of RES, support energy efficiency and more active citizen [...]
The Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu) passed amendments to the Natural Gas Act and other related laws during one of the session. The amendments also provide new solutions for onshore and offshore wind power in Estonia. […]
Paweł Wróbel: The Nature Restoration Law will set restoration targets and obligations across a broad range of ecosystems at land and sea in the EU. How is this to work in practice for marine areas? Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries: The proposal includes targets on marine ecosystems. We will be looking [...]
Sweden will hold the presidency of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region from July 1 to June 30, 2023, reports the Swedish government. […]
The German Parliament has adopted a new Offshore Wind Law (WindSeeG). It makes important changes to the design of Germany’s offshore wind auctions. It established two different types of auctions, one of which involves negative bidding with no caps on the amounts developers bid. This is bad: uncapped negative bidding means additional costs for electricity [...]
The European Commission has published its Nature Protection Package. The package implements the EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy, part of the European Green Deal. It’s also supporting the REPowerEU Action Plan, the measures to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels and accelerate the growth of renewables, which the Commission presented on 18 May. The expansion [...]
The State Shared Service Centre (Riigi Tugiteenuste Keskus, RTK) has issued a tender for a service including a preliminary spatial analysis to determine the feasibility of planning offshore wind farms in the Hiiu region. […]
The Estonian Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA) has announced that it will start the procedure of analyzing applications for construction permits for 20 offshore wind farms. On May 12, the Estonian government passed the Estonian Maritime Spatial Plan, which gives TTJA the opportunity to carry out procedures for [...]
The Polish Ministry of Infrastructure has launched further administrative procedures for granting concessions for new offshore wind sites in the Polish Baltic Sea in 2022. There are 11 proceedings in total. The Minister of Infrastructure Marek Gróbarczyk informed that so far 125 applications have been received for licenses for offshore [...]
The Bundestag will hold the first reading of the second draft of the amendment to the Offshore Wind Energy Act (WindSeeG). According to the Federal Association of Wind Farm Operators Offshore (BWO), little consideration has been given to industrial policy requirements to date. […]
Energy experts from countries in the Baltic Sea region gathered in an online session hosted by the Swedish Institute for a dialogue on energy efficiency. The message from the speakers was that work on energy efficiency in the Baltic Sea region must speed up. […]
Denmark intends to build more energy islands and accelerate renewable energy production to become independent from Russian gas, Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities reports. The key will be the development of offshore wind energy. […]
On April 13, the Lithuanian government approved amendments to legislation drafted by the Ministry of Energy to accelerate the development of RES in Lithuania. The new legislation removes the bureaucracy and excessive restrictions on photovoltaic and wind power plants and encourages the formation of energy communities, the department says. [...]
At the beginning of April, the German government adopted the so-called Easter Package at the request of Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck. This is the largest change to the country’s energy policy regulations in decades. According to the premise, the Easter Package [...]
The Swedish government has presented a package of solutions for accelerating the development of wind energy. Wind turbines for Sweden are intended to be a source of cheap and green electricity. The package consists of four decisions aimed at meeting increased electricity demand and strengthening Sweden’s energy security through wind [...]
On 31 March 2022, the Seimas of Lithuania adopted laws on offshore wind energy development in the Baltic Sea. As a result, they gave a green light for the construction of the first offshore wind farm in Lithuania, reports the Lithuanian Ministry of Energy. […]
During the discussion at the meeting of the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania, the proposals of the Committee for Environmental Protection, on the development of offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea, were accepted. This is a big step closer to offshore wind in Lithuania, comments the Lithuanian Wind [...]
Latvia plans to implement new regulations that will accelerate the pace of development of wind farm projects. The government’s plans were announced by the Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, Artūrs Toms Plešs, during a press briefing on March 21. A special law will be drafted for this purpose. [...]
Germany is currently working on a draft offshore wind energy law (WindSeeG). The Federal Association of Wind Farm Operators Offshore (BWO) has submitted comments and recommendations to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action on measures to accelerate offshore wind development. […]
In September 2021, the Polish government and the offshore wind industry signed the Polish Offshore Wind Sector Deal for offshore wind development in Poland. The main objective of the groundbreaking document is to maximize the local content of wind turbines development in Polish waters of the Baltic Sea. In March, [...]
Baltic countries’ plans to sustainably manage human activities at sea lack harmony across borders, and measures to restore and protect ecosystems are inadequate – that’s the conclusion of WWF’s Baltic Ecoregion Programme, which has evaluated Baltic EU Member States’ Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) strategies for sustainably managing marine areas and [...]
In the list of legislative works of the Polish government there appeared an announcement of a draft amendment of the Act on sea areas of the Republic of Poland and the maritime administration. The project assumes regulation of a situation of a tie in the resolving proceedings for applications for permits to build artificial [...]
The war in Ukraine, caused by Russia’s attack, has shown how damaging the toxic relationship between Europe and Russia is in the energy sector. The answer is REPowerEU – European Commission’s plan to make Europe independent from Russian fossil fuels by 2030. One of the pillars of action is RES investments. Offshore wind development, including [...]
The Ministry of Energy of Lithuania invites to participate in public consultations on the elements relevant for the environmental impact assessment of wind farms to be constructed in the Lithuanian part of the Baltic Sea. […]
The Parliament voted a few days ago on the report on the EU strategy for offshore renewable energy, prepared and adopted by the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy. The document was finally adopted. – Offshore wind energy needs “all hands on deck”. Firstly, it is about exploiting the potential of every European basin. I [...]
Today at a meeting of the European Parliament, MEPs adopted a strategy for the development of offshore energy in Europe. This is a watershed moment for the offshore wind industry. The document sets ambitious goals for the development of this industry in Europe. The report was approved by 518 votes [...]
During the February 2022 plenary session, Parliament voted on an own-initiative report on the EU offshore renewable energy strategy, as prepared and adopted by the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy. This constitutes Parliament’s response to the Commission’s strategy paper on the subject, adopted in November 2020 as part of [...]
Danish transmission operator Energinet said that a new model for paying power producers for transmission network development costs is out for consultation. The new solution is expected to contribute to the efficient use of RES sources and their installation where network capacity is much larger. […]
Lithuania, as one of the Baltic countries, wants to use the opportunities of offshore wind energy development. The first offshore wind farm will be built by 2030, while renewables auction for the first offshore wind farm is planned for 2023. Offshore wind could cover up to a quarter of the energy consumed in the [...]
In January 2022, the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) presented first concrete plans at a meeting with representatives of the offshore wind industry. Managing Director of the industry organization BWO, Stefan Thimm, comments that this is a positive development, that the industry did not dare to [...]
An intense 2021 for offshore wind energy is behind us, particularly in terms of the implementation of European policy. We ask the European Commission about its summary of the past year and its plans for 2022 in offshore wind area policy. We invite you to read the text from the series “Key offshore wind stories [...]
– Electrification will most probably not be a silver bullet: it will not be in itself sufficient in decarbonising some of industrial processes or may not be the best for all transport solutions. In other words: we will not win only with electrification but we will certainly lose without it [...]
– 2022 will be – in fact – the “year of delivery” of the European Green Deal with the ongoing works both on the “Fit for 55” and Gas Packages in the European Parliament and in the Council. Therefore, I expect a lot of heated debates on many important topics [...]
Today the European Commission published its new EU Guidelines on State Aid for Climate, Environmental Protection and Energy. The new Guidelines allow National Governments to hold technology specific auctions and endorse revenue stabilisation mechanisms notably 2-sided CfDs. These are pre-conditions for the accelerated deployment of wind energy towards climate neutrality. [...]
The three German parties – SPD, Greens and FDP – concluded a coalition agreement in Berlin in November. SPD politician Olaf Scholz will become the new chancellor, replacing Angela Merkel. The landmark agreement also touches on the development of offshore wind energy. […]
On December 8, the next edition of SITE Development Day will be launched. The Managing Director of BalticWind.EU, Paweł Wróbel, will attend the event as a speaker. During his speech, he will talk about Poland’s energy transformation and the special role of offshore wind energy. […]
On 8 December, there will be a meeting of the Working Group for energy and climate of the CPMR Baltic Sea Commission. The topic of the meeting are the opportunities of offshore wind energy development in the Baltic region. We will be represented at the meeting by Paweł Wróbel, Managing [...]
#BalticForGenerations – is an initiative of the Polish energy company Enea and the UN Global Compact Network Poland, which aims to protect the waters of the Baltic Sea. Hundreds of thousands of tons of classic munitions, chemical weapons and shipwrecks filled with fuel lie on the seabed. The remnants of [...]
Today 113 MW operate using floating foundations and have shown outstanding performance, including the highest capacity factors in the wind sector. The time has come for the technology to move to commercial scale – WindEurope explains in the position paper. […]
Denmark’s Finance Ministry said that the Danish government, together with the political parties, has reached a partial agreement on the 2022 budget bill. Politicians expressed the need for more investment in offshore wind energy. It was agreed to expand offshore wind turbines by an additional 2 GW by 2030. The [...]
BalticWind.EU informed, that MEPs set out recommendations for speeding up the deployment of offshore wind, in a report adopted on Tuesday. The report voted in the Industry, Research and Energy committee (ITRE) in response to a European Commission communication stresses that meeting the 2030 and 2050 targets require speeding up [...]
MEPs set out recommendations for speeding up the deployment of offshore wind, in a report adopted on Tuesday. The report voted in the Industry, Research and Energy committee in response to a European Commission communication stresses that meeting the 2030 and 2050 targets require speeding up the deployment of offshore renewable energy (ORE), but a [...]
Lithuania is preparing its regulatory framework for the development of offshore wind in its waters. And new proposed auction rules have recently emerged in the Lithuanian Parliament which will jeopardise the delivery of projects at the lowest cost for society – WindEurope indicates in the press release. […]
The Offshore Coalition for Energy and Nature (OCEaN) is a coalition of wind farm operators, transmission systems and environmental organizations that provides an open forum for discussion. The German working group presented six recommendations for the nature-friendly development of offshore wind energy. […]
The development of offshore wind energy in EU countries is associated with the need to speed up the issuance of permits for the construction of wind farms. The offshore wind industry has long stressed that the lack of fast and common procedures is one of the main bottlenecks that could prevent ambitious plans for [...]
The Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan (BEMIP) adopted a new work programme for offshore wind in the Baltic Sea. […]
Charting a way forward for a healthy Baltic Sea, HELCOM has adopted the updated Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) during the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting 2021 that was held in Lübeck, Germany, on 20 October 2021. […]
The way towards a healthy Baltic Sea will be charted during the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting 2021, to be held in Lübeck, Germany, on 20 October 2021, where the HELCOM Ministers and the EU Commissioner for the Environment are planning to adopt the updated Baltic Sea Action Plan. […]
Danish wind energy association Wind Denmark presented a series of proposals to accelerate the expansion of wind and solar power at the Vindtræf 2021 industry conference. Denmark needs huge amounts of energy from RES to meet its growing electricity demand by 2030. "Wind Denmark estimates that 70-110 billion kWh of electricity will be needed in [...]
The time for offshore wind farms is approaching in Finland – say experts at Helsinki-based law firm Castrén & Snellman. In Finland, there are plans to accelerate the construction of offshore wind farms, among others by reducing the property tax rate. […]
In 2020, the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) recorded the lowest levels of underwater noise in the German part of the Baltic Sea since measurements began in 2013. […]
The Lithuanian Ministry of Energy announced that on Wednesday, August 4, 2021, the government supported the ministry’s motion to adopt regulations supporting the development of offshore wind energy. The regulations concern the conditions for the main tender and the scope of the contest winner’s liability. […]
Research conducted by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment shows that the best way to promote the development of wind energy is to streamline and define regulatory procedures for the production of wind energy both onshore and offshore. […]
The EU’s climate neutrality requires 1,300 GW of wind power by 2050 and a doubling of the annual wind energy installation rates. EU State aid rules are key to creating the conditions for a cost-effective transition to a climate neutral economy. This consultation response outlines the recommendations of the European [...]
A public procurement notice for the construction of an Estonian-Latvian offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea has appeared in the Estonian Public Procurement Register. The tender concerns the implementation of the ELWIND feasibility study. […]
Dutch MEP Peter van Dalen answers BalticWind.EU’s questions on cooperation between fishermen and emerging offshore wind industry. On July 7, 2021, Members of the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the impact of offshore wind farms and other renewable energy systems on the fisheries sector. […]
The European Commission is launching a call for expression of interest open to all relevant stakeholder organisations to become a member of a new working group on offshore renewable energy under the framework of the clean energy industrial forum. The deadline for applications is 10 September 2021. […]
Vattenfall’s President and CEO Anna Borg comments on the interim report for January-June 2021. “Achieving our goal of enabling fossil-free living within one generation requires that we cooperate with customers and other partners – also outside of the energy sector. Partnerships therefore have a central role in Vattenfall’s strategy”, says [...]
Members of the European Parliament adopted a resolution of July 7, 2021 on the impact of offshore wind farms and other renewable energy systems on the fisheries sector. The document stresses the need to avoid possible negative and long-term impacts of offshore wind turbines on certain ecosystems, fish stocks and [...]
The “fit for 55% package” adopted by the European Commission on July 14th. clearly indicates that boosting renewable sources of energy, in particular wind, is essential to deliver EU’s climate target. Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, said during the presentation of the legislative package that when it comes to renewable [...]
Today the European Commission has tabled the Fit-for-55 package, a series of legislative proposals to deliver the EU’s increased climate target of 55% emissions reduction by 2030. The package includes a higher renewables target and new rules to support the expansion of renewables. It further strengthens the Emissions Trading System to drive the electrification [...]
On 1st July members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) debated a draft report by Morten Petersen on the European Union’s strategy for offshore renewable energy. We are asking the Danish Member of European Parliament for a comment on the report. […]
Sweden’s environment ministry has focused on municipalities’ right to object to the construction of wind farms. For this purpose, a special team was set up to study the consequences of its removal or to present a different alternative. It turned out that the optimal proposal was presented against the previous [...]
The European Commission has officially extended the steel safeguard measures for a further three years. The decision will add to cost pressures for wind turbine and component manufacturers. The steel safeguard measures impact two categories of importance to the European wind industry: heavy plate (category 7), used in the fabrication of steel wind towers, [...]
ENTSO-E, T&D Europe and WindEurope have published a joint report on the development of HVDC systems in the context of offshore wind energy. Technical problems in integrating a large number of, for example, converter stations from different suppliers are a challenge. It is crucial to ensure the interoperability of technologies. At the beginning, it [...]
European Commission will present the package “fit for 55%” this summer. According to the latest agenda of the Commission it is scheduled on July 14th. All legislative proposals need to provide a framework for delivering increased GHG reduction target for 2030 as well as climate neutrality by 2050. BalticWind.EU has seen a leaked version [...]
European Commission has adopted new approach for a sustainable blue economy in the EU. We ask Virginijus Sinkevičius, EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries about the role of offshore wind as well as how to coordinate renewables development in the Baltic Sea region while taking into account environmental protection. What are the main challenges facing Europe's [...]
[Download link at the end of article] Leaked revised renewable directive (REDIII) shows that offshore wind will be one of the pillars of RES development in the EU. The leaked document puts strong focus on cross border projects, joint cooperation of MSs within each sea basin by 2050, with intermediate steps in 2030 and [...]
In the pages of the Estonian ERR website, Juhan Hellerma writes about development plans for offshore wind energy in Estonia. It turns out that the expected environmental impact of marine installations may be much lower than originally predicted. The Estonian land use plan designates three sea areas for the development of offshore wind farms. [...]
The world is not installing wind power at the pace needed to achieve net-zero, according to Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). The wind industry’s new campaign for COP26 asks governments, companies, and people across the world one critical question: "Wind. Are You In?" According to recently released roadmap reports on reaching Net Zero by [...]
On Friday, the European Council reached a general approach on the revision of the Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E) Regulation. The objective of the revised TEN-E regulation is to modernise, decarbonise and interconnect the EU’s cross-border energy infrastructure in order to help the EU achieve its 2050 climate neutrality objectives. The revised Regulation also [...]
The Danish government, together with the majority in the Parliament have agreed to strengthen the role of local influence on coastal green energy projects development such as offshore wind. According to Wind Denmark, it may stop the possibility of market-driven offshore wind development and leaves the question of how Denmark will secure enough green [...]
Removal of obstacles especially in relation to permitting is one of the recommendations published by an Electrification Alliance. Members of the alliance, including WindEurope and Eurelectric, released its priorities for “fit for 55%” package. Recommendations for the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive indicates that removal of obstacles to solar, wind and electricity grid deployment [...]
The biggest wind power seminar in Finland gathers over 200 people from more than 10 countries to network and learn from the latest winds in the industry. As we are moving closer to the era of new normal, event organizers work hard to make safe events happen – and so are we.
The European Union has adopted an offshore wind energy development strategy. What are the biggest challenges facing this industry? Where is the place of the Baltic Sea on the offshore wind map? How does Denmark perceive this region in the context of the development of offshore energy? We are talking to Morten Petersen, Member [...]
The consulting company UAB Ardynas, commissioned by the Lithuanian Ministry of Energy, will prepare a plan for some areas in the Baltic Sea where offshore wind farms are to be built. Lithuania has already preliminarily identified places where wind farms will be built in the Baltic Sea. In March 2021, the tender for a [...]
The European Commission approved the Danish support scheme for the development of renewable energy sources, in particular onshore and offshore wind farms, hydropower plants and photovoltaic installations. In this way, the Danes will accelerate the development of the renewable energy sector. State aid will be granted through auctions to be carried out in the [...]
In just a few years, Poland will join the countries producing electricity in offshore wind farms. For this purpose, the necessary regulations have been created that provide support for projects in the Baltic Sea. The Polish energy market regulator has already made important decisions as part of the first phase of support for offshore [...]
Seven European transmission system operators have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the launch of Eurobar, an initiative for interconnecting offshore wind platforms across Europe. The aim of Eurobar is to efficiently and securely integrate offshore wind power into the European power grid, starting from current regulation and projects (e.g. point-to-point connections) and prospectively evolving [...]
The European Commission approves €22.5 billion Polish scheme to support offshore wind farms. Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: “This Polish scheme is a very good example of how competition policy can enable Member States to support green energy projects, such as offshore wind farms. It gives the incentive to companies [...]