The European Commission is pursuing a bold plan to dramatically scale wind energy across the European Union. The goal is to lift installed capacity from about 204 gigawatts today to 500 gigawatts by 2030, with a special emphasis on offshore wind farms to accelerate deployment and lift turbine installation rates many times over.
The Wind Energy Action Plan unveiled by the Commission this week outlines a path where wind could supply roughly one third of the EU’s electricity by 2030, up from the current share of around 16 percent. This shift would help reach the legally binding target of about 42.5 percent of final energy consumption from renewables by 2030. The plan does not require new legislation but instead aligns resources and processes to accelerate growth.
Key aims include strengthening European wind manufacturing and reducing dependence on foreign suppliers, notably from China, which currently dominates several segments of the wind energy market. Market leaders cited in industry analyses include Vestas, Siemens Gamesa, GE Wind Energy, Goldwind, Envision, Mingyang, Nordex, Enercon, and SeWind, highlighting the competitive landscape across Europe, the United States, and Asia.
The Commission emphasizes support for a sector facing challenges such as uneven demand, permitting delays, access to raw materials, inflation, and fluctuating prices. It also notes risks from global competition and the need for a skilled workforce to sustain growth.
As part of its broader strategy, the plan includes work to expand electricity networks and improve project predictability. The vice-president for the Green Deal, Maros Sefcovic, described the package as a catalyst for domestic wind growth and competitive performance on the global stage, stressing that it does not alter current laws but focuses on six practical pillars: faster permitting, enhanced infrastructure deployment, improved long-term planning, better digital processes, stronger technical guidance, and clearer framework conditions for investors.
In 2022, the EU added about 16 gigawatts of wind capacity, marking a 47 percent year-over-year increase, but a higher annual target is needed to meet climate objectives for 2030. The plan also calls for digitalizing authorization procedures, strengthening support to member states, and promoting long-term planning to ensure steady progress toward the 2030 targets.
The Community continues to emphasize transparent auction design, aiming to reward projects with the greatest value while ensuring timely completion. Financing and risk-sharing will be supported through the EU Innovation Fund and the European Investment Bank, with encouragement for member states to leverage state aid rules to bolster wind production across the continent. Internationally, the Commission will monitor unfair practices that could favor foreign turbine producers and may consider tools such as anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures if needed. In parallel, there is a focus on human capital—creating training academies in green tech and wind energy to prepare up to 100,000 students within three years.
Finally, the Commission plans closer collaboration with industry and member states to ensure competitiveness, with particular emphasis on offshore wind. The North Sea region and other offshore projects across France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany are highlighted as models for large-scale generation that could power tens of millions of households by 2030. Guidance will cover cost-sharing, port capacity studies, and the practicalities of rapid offshore deployment. In 2022, EU offshore wind capacity stood at about 16.3 gigawatts, with a target to average roughly 12 gigawatts of new capacity annually, a tenfold increase over recent years.
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