The European wind energy association WindEurope on Tuesday called on EU leaders to treat electrification as a “strategic priority” and not as a “footnote” in its policies, which means prioritizing citizens, businesses and industry in the region, EFE reports.
At this year’s summit in the Spanish capital, WindEurope’s delegated advisor and former Belgian energy minister, Tinne van der Straeten, presented the “Madrid Call to Action” decalogue, a call to action that advocates increasing electricity supply, connecting it to demand and stimulating consumption, according to Agerpres.
According to the document, the war in Iran has once again reminded Europe that fossil fuels must be replaced “rapidly” with domestically generated electricity.
During his speech, Van der Straeten praised the Old Continent’s commitment to strengthening its economy after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. As a result, renewable energies have expanded across the country, with the wind energy sector alone investing €45 billion in new capacity by 2025.
According to the call for action, wind energy provides 20% of electricity, and the European wind value chain makes a decisive contribution to the continent’s strategic energy independence.
But “the work is not done,” warns the association, which emphasizes that electricity accounts for less than 25% of total energy use, which represents “a threat to energy security.”
In this context, the delegated advisor of WindEurope said that it is time to turn decisions into actions, maintain environmental ambitions and political confidence, and make Europe a place for investment.
The energy transition will only succeed if “we have the confidence that we can do it”, she stressed.
Key points of the plan
The WindEurope plan is structured around three pillars.
The first is to increase the supply of electricity. In this regard, the association calls for speeding up the processing of permits, making “full use” of wind energy auctions and upgrading older wind farms to triple their output with fewer but more efficient turbines.
The second is to connect supply with demand. This requires prioritising grid connections for mature and strategic projects and eliminating “zombie” projects, increasing funding for EU networks and attracting private investment.
The third pillar aims to stimulate demand, with zero VAT for heat pumps and electric vehicles. Similarly, the association believes it is essential to prioritise electrification in low and medium temperature industrial processes.
WindEurope also suggests reducing taxes on electricity so that local sources “are the cheapest”, and simplifying state aid to help the industry switch to renewable sources through PPAs (Power Purchase Agreements, or Energy Purchase Contract – n.r.) or long-term clean energy purchase agreements.