Europe installed 15 GW of new wind energy in 2024, with the EU accounting for 13 GW, yet 30 GW per year is required to meet the 2030 climate and energy targets, according to WindEurope’s initial estimates.
According to WindEurope, Europe built 15 GW of new energy last year: 13 GW onshore and 2.3 GW offshore. The EU accounted for 13 GW of this: 11.4 GW onshore and 1.4 GW offshore.
However, to reach its 2030 energy and climate targets, the EU should be building 30 GW a year of new wind farms, WindEurope says.
Europe got 20 per cent of its electricity from wind energy, but the continent is not building enough new wind farms, the organisation added.
Giles Dickson, WindEurope CEO, outlined three main reasons why this is happening: most governments are not applying the good EU permitting rules ; grid connections are facing delays ; and Europe is not accelerating the electrification of its economy fast enough .
“The EU must urgently tackle all three problems. More wind means cheaper power which means increased competitiveness,” said Dickson .
According to WindEurope, Germany is an example of a country that has implemented the new permitting rules, allowing nearly 15 GW of new onshore wind capacity. The country also launched a couple of offshore wind tenders last year, totalling 8 GW across five sites .
In addition, Germany added more than double the offshore wind capacity in 2024, compared to the previous year, according to initial data from the country’s Federal Network Agency (BNetzA).
“Governments must follow Germany’s example if they are serious about energy security and industrial competitiveness,” WindEurope added.
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The organisation also said that more than 500 GW of potential wind energy capacity are waiting for an assessment of their grid connection applications, and immediate action is needed to unblock grid capacity.
WindEurope mentioned the 900 MW Borkum Riffgrund 3 as a negative example of an offshore wind project that is fully installed but is waiting for a grid connection.
The transmission system operator will not be able to connect the offshore wind farm to the German grid before 2026, the organisation says.
Borkum Riffgrund 3 will be linked to the DolWin5 offshore grid connection system, which TenneT is building in the North Sea.
WindEurope emphasised that Europe must accelerate the electrification of its economy. Currently, electricity accounts for 23 per cent of energy consumption in the EU, but this share needs to rise to 61 per cent by 2050, the organisation said.
European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen has tasked Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen to present an Electrification Action Plan. “This cannot happen fast enough,” WindEurope added.
Europe has awarded a record amount of new wind capacity, with 37 GW allocated (29 GW within the EU). While this is great news for future development, urgent action is needed on permitting, grid upgrades, and electrification to ensure faster growth in wind energy installations, the organisation said.
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