EU leaders and representatives of European industry are gathering in Antwerp to discuss how to strengthen Europe's competitiveness and bring down energy prices. At the opening of the informal summit, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, spoke of an ambition to accelerate the strengthening of the internal market in order to increase the EU's competitiveness.
The trade association for the European wind industry, WindEurope, stated in a press release issued in connection with the summit that Europe's competitiveness is threatened if heavy industry does not electrify significantly faster.
According to WindEuropa, wind energy is already one of the cheapest ways to produce electricity in Europe, and both onshore and offshore wind can deliver large amounts of electricity at competitive prices if the right policy framework is in place.
- Wind is a strong partner for Europe's industry and an integral part of the solution to Europe's competitiveness problem. We can deliver the large amounts of competitive electricity that both industry and Europe urgently need. But there is no competitiveness without accelerated electrification. Together with the EU and the national governments, we must now agree on targeted measures that can adjust electricity supply and industrial demand, says Tinne Van der Straeten, CEO of WindEurope.
Great potential
The organization points to Germany as an example, among others. Here, the government has consistently implemented EU rules on faster approvals, which last year led to permits for more than 20 GW of onshore wind and auctions of more than 14 GW with falling prices.
WindEurope also sees great potential in offshore wind. In the UK, the latest Contract-for-Difference auction resulted in 8.4 GW of new offshore wind capacity. At the same time, European heads of state and government have committed to a significant expansion of offshore wind in the North Sea, supported by the Contract-for-Difference model, which is intended to reduce investment risk. In this context, the wind industry has committed to reducing the costs of offshore wind by 30 percent. towards 2040 compared to the 2025 level.
But according to WindEurope, the crucial challenge is to ensure that green power is actually used in industry. The electrification rate in Europe is stagnant at 25 percent, while competitors such as China are increasing the pace.
Therefore, the organization is calling for targeted measures from the EU that can link electricity production and industrial demand more closely and reduce the risk of investments in direct electrification.
"Europe needs targeted measures that can bring electricity supply and demand into line and reduce the risk of crucial investments in direct electrification. It is also necessary to ensure that industry can purchase wind energy at competitive prices. The European Commission should take the lead by publishing its EU guidance on electricity taxation. After that, it is up to national governments to lower taxes and levies on electricity to promote investments in electrified industrial processes," reads the statement from WindEurope.
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