WindEurope warns that EU climate targets will not be met and calls for faster approvals.
The expansion of wind energy in Europe is progressing too slowly, according to the industry association WindEurope, based on an evaluation of the latest data. At 6.8 gigawatts (GW) in the first half of the year, 5.3 of which were in the EU, the increase is below forecasts. According to WindEurope, this jeopardizes the EU’s energy supply and climate targets for 2030, as well as the region’s economic competitiveness. “Cheaper electricity is essential to remain competitive with China and the United States,” said CEO Giles Dickson. He warned that a slowdown in wind power expansion also threatens growth and jobs in industries such as steel, chemicals, and information and communications technology.
Europe now has a total wind energy capacity of 291 GW. The association expects this figure to reach 344 GW by 2030, but the EU’s target is 425 GW. According to the findings, only a few countries are promoting these renewable energy sources sufficiently.
Germany is an exception, as it was the first country to implement the new EU approval regulations. Approvals are usually granted within 18 months, while in the rest of the bloc, it takes 24 months or longer. With 2.2 GW, the majority of new capacity in the first half of 2025 also came from Germany, followed by Spain with 889 megawatts and the United Kingdom with 760 megawatts.
In addition to the lengthy approval procedures, WindEurope cites the slow expansion of the power grids and “suboptimal auction design” as weaknesses, among other things. In the past, the association has repeatedly called for secure access to the necessary raw materials. One crucial group of elements is rare earths, which are used in many wind turbines. In the turbines, rare earth magnets help convert rotational motion into electrical current. China has a near monopoly on these materials. In view of these challenges, WindEurope is calling for closer cooperation between European governments. To drive forward the expansion of wind power, it is now necessary to implement EU approval regulations, but also to modernize electricity grids and strengthen local supply chains.
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