EU will miss its 2030 wind power targets, warns WindEurope

European Union member states are adding new wind power capacity more slowly than needed to meet the target set for 2030. According to WindEurope, around 15 GW of new capacity will be installed in the EU this year, slightly less than last year and less than half of what is needed. The association announced this in a press release.

EU member states currently have 225 GW of installed wind power capacity, of which 205 GW is onshore and 20 GW comes from offshore wind farms.

In the first half of this year, 5.7 GW of new capacity was installed—4.7 GW of onshore wind and 1 GW of offshore wind. Germany led with 1.7 GW, followed by France with 1.2 GW and Spain with 876 MW.

"New installations in the first half of this year are slightly lower than we expected and amount to less than half of what was built in 2023. We expect the EU to build 15 GW of new wind power capacity this year, less than the 16 GW installed last year," WindEurope said.

Current trends, together with announced projects and auctions for operating support, point to installed capacity reaching 350 GW in 2030, of which 296 GW would be onshore wind and 54 GW offshore. If this projection materializes, the EU would fall short of its 2030 target of 425 GW of installed capacity from these sources.

"The main problem now is the power grids. New grid connection points are not being built and permitted quickly enough... Permitting for new wind farms remains problematic in many countries," the association said, identifying the key barriers to faster wind power development in the EU.

In addition to the issues above, project economics are also a challenge, with projects facing persistently high interest rates, high investment costs and an unfavorable outlook for the wholesale electricity market.

According to WindEurope, the situation can be improved if member states fully implement the measures agreed as part of the new permitting rules and the wind energy package. Some countries should also improve their auction rules to make them sufficiently attractive to investors.