EU must not slow down on wind power ambitions -WindEurope
Targets for renewables in the EU’s 2030 energy mix ought to be raised to at least 35 percent from 27 percent and there should be three-year visibility on the timing, volume and budget of support schemes, it said.
FRANKFURT: The European Union should raise wind power targets for 2030 in order to maintain its technology leadership and secure jobs in the sector, industry lobby WindEurope said on Tuesday.
Targets for renewables in the EU’s 2030 energy mix ought to be raised to at least 35 percent from 27 percent and there should be three-year visibility on the timing, volume and budget of support schemes, it said.
“Job growth in the industry has flat-lined in the last five years as many countries have become less ambitious on renewables,” WindEurope said in a report prepared with consultancy and auditing firm Deloitte.
“Half the EU member states invested nothing in wind last year,” said the report, which focused on developments between 2011 and 2016.
It was presented for discussions on Europe’s Clean Energy Package on decarbonisation targets up to 2030.
The wind industry in 2016 contributed 36 billion euros ($42.8 billion) to Europe’s gross domestic product and 260,000 jobs, WindEurope said.
Source: Reuters
