An action plan unveiled on Tuesday to boost the EU’s wind energy sector could trigger investigations into foreign subsidies where there is evidence of damage to European industry.
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00:00 Wind energy is a European invention and a European success story. But in the last two
00:06 years, Asia has taken the leading role in the sector. And the EU only has itself to
00:12 blame for this, in large part due to complicated official procedures holding back construction.
00:18 It`s why the European Commission is presenting new proposals to double wind energy production
00:22 by 2030. One of the elements of which is the dismantling of bureaucratic obstacles.
00:31 First we want to accelerate projects by easing permitting constraints. The EU has four times
00:39 more wind capacity permitting than under construction. This must be rectified.
00:49 EU member states agree that by 2030, the share of renewable energy should be at least 42.5
00:55 percent, preferably reaching 45. To achieve this, the installed capacity of wind energy
01:00 must be significantly increased from 204 gigawatts in 2022 to more than 500 in 2030. And the
01:07 competitiveness of European companies must also be improved. This requires that Chinese
01:12 companies operating with unlimited state support do not distort the market. Something also
01:17 addressed in the commission`s proposals.
01:19 This wind power package gives a good push in that direction as far as wind. We still
01:26 have very high levels of dependency on China, for example, when it comes to the rare earths
01:34 that we use in permanent magnets, when it comes to the glass fiber materials that we
01:39 use in the blades of our wind turbines.
01:42 The EU wants to ensure its energy independence and avoid a similar situation to what happened
01:47 with solar panels, where China now clearly dominates the market.
01:51 -END-
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