Debate: A European strategy for offshore renewable energy
Date: MONDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2022
Speaker: Kadri Simson
Language: EN

Choosing the right path means hearing all viewpoints, learning from different perspectives, and that’s why I am so pleased to be here discussing the own-initiative report on the European offshore energy strategy. I want to thank Morten Petersen for the hard work in preparing it. I can see that many of its recommendations are in line and support the Commission’s own strategy. To kick off this session, I’d like to frame our discussion today by speaking about the Commission’s thinking behind this important part of energy in Europe. Let’s start with simple facts. The EU is a global powerhouse for offshore renewables. Offshore wind is not at the beginning of its journey here, it’s a major technology: one with immense potential, potential to help us meet our 2030 and 2050 targets, potential to foster competitive energy prices and potential to boost European industry. Despite publishing a dedicated strategy on offshore energy with some of the most ambitious targets globally, the EU still needs to overcome a number of challenges facing us. Having read Morten Petersen’s report carefully, I was pleased to see that the Commission and Parliament identify the same opportunities and challenges for the offshore energy sector in the EU. The Parliament rightly pointed out a number of issues and needs for the Commission to address. Let me take them one by one right now. First, an impact assessment on the economic and socio-economic impacts of offshore energy. This is a very useful comment which we will explore, I think, in the Horizon Europe programme, including through coal specifically tailored to the development of offshore energy. Second, how can renewable sources pave the way for renewable hydrogen? As you know, the decarbonised gas market package highlights renewable sources, including offshore, as a priority to ramp up renewable hydrogen production. Third, an EU-wide landfill ban on decommissioned wind turbine blades by 2025. Circularity is a constant consideration of our work. The Commission is already taking it into consideration in Horizon Europe goals. And fourth, tailoring Horizon Europe to the development of renewables. This is another area already considered in the strategy and currently under discussion when it comes to the ongoing shaping of the 2023-24 Horizon Europe goals. There is much to do, but we should also take a moment to realise how far we have come already. It’s been just over a year since we adopted the offshore energy strategy, and even in that short time we have achieved quite a lot in each of the key areas. On infrastructure, last December the European Parliament and the Council found agreement on the new regulation of TEN-E. It contains critical provisions to steer the coordinated development of the needed offshore and onshore infrastructure at sea-basin level. The agreement contains a provision inviting Member States to come forward with clear commitments on the offshore renewable energy to be deployed within each sea basin by 2050. Those commitments will include immediate steps in 2030 and 2040 and will be in line with the national energy and climate plans and the potential of each sea basin. I hope the European Parliament will endorse the agreement reached between the co-legislators so that it can enter into force in spring. On legislation, we have been working hard to make sure that we have the best conditions to enhance the EU’s role in offshore and onshore renewables. And I already mentioned the Fit for 55 package, and with the work that has been done to revise the Renewables Directive, we are creating these conditions. And this proposal is currently under discussion in the European Parliament and the Council. And on permitting, we know that we face one of the key challenges for project development in the EU, so we are doing everything we can to make sure that Member States coordinate, streamline and facilitate the process. And we want to be able to look back at the current system, which is often overly complex and excessively long, as a relic of the past. The first step towards achieving that is correctly transposing the Renewable Energy Directive, because unfortunately, most Member States have not fully transposed the Directive, even though the deadline was last July. So I should also mention here that we intend to issue, by this summer, further guidance on good practices to address overly-complex and excessively-long administrative procedures. And last, on cooperation and consensus: in October we organised a conference for government ministries and public authorities to look more closely at the state of affairs for the offshore energy sector. From investments to public acceptance and from permitting to pre-planning, many of the most significant issues for large-scale deployment were dealt with at the same time, and I know that the participation of Morten Petersen and the Chair of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Mr Buşoi was highly appreciated. So, ladies and gentlemen, I think what we can all agree on is that much has been done but there is still much left to do, and these are some of the most pressing issues identified in the Commission’s strategy and addressed in the Parliament report. So thank you for listening and I’m looking forward to the discussions.