With positive expectations and confidence, the ENERCON trade fair team starts today for this year’s leading international trade fair WindEurope in Copenhagen (25 – 27 April). ‘We are not only looking forward to good discussions with our customers,’ says ENERCON CCO Ulrich Schulze Südhoff. ‘Exchanges with political stakeholders from the nation states and the EU Commission are also on our agenda over the next three days. Together with the associations, we want to use the event to campaign for further political support for the wind industry and the energy transition.’
To be successful in transforming the energy system, Europe needs to significantly increase its renewable energy capacity and reach at least 510 GW of wind power capacity by 2030 (compared to 190 GW today). Wind energy meets all the requirements for a decarbonized energy system: it is sustainable, affordable, quick to install, and inclusive. ‘But manufacturing wind turbines and their components requires a stable and secure supply of raw materials at competitive costs, as well as a stable outlook for project volumes,’ Schulze Südhoff says.
The ENERCON CCO also reiterated this point at a top-level meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last Monday in Hanover. Together with 17 other industry representatives, Schulze Südhoff exchanged views with Scholz on how the energy transition can gain momentum and succeed in transforming the energy system. ‘We discussed faster approvals – e.g., through early stakeholder involvement, clearinghouses that complement legal remedies during the approval process – the German states’ earlier commitment to dedicate 2 percent of their land to wind energy, and how to create a level playing field for investment and operating costs in response to international competition.’
ENERCON intends to build on this constructive exchange in Copenhagen. Schulze Südhoff: ‘It is our expectation that not only German politicians – such as Chancellor Scholz, who promised us support in Hanover and assured us that we will make progress – but also other governments and the EU Commission will be equally committed to the topic of wind energy and the wind industry!’
