The wind power and steel industry has a key role to play in Europe’s energy transition. On Thursday, industry associations WindEurope and EUROFER called on EU lawmakers to secure the raw material supply needed for this.
Wind energy will supply up to 50 percent of electricity consumption in the EU by 2050, they said in a joint letter. Steel is essential for building wind turbines and other applications for the energy transition. The steel sector, in turn, needs renewables such as wind power to produce in a more climate-friendly way, including with the help of green hydrogen.
The Critical Raw Materials Act, which the EU plans to present in March, must therefore ensure access to all critical materials used in wind turbines and steel production. These would include raw materials such as rare earths, nickel, manganese, copper and aluminum, as well as secondary materials such as ferrous scrap, glass and carbon fibers. In order to break the dependence on a few exporting countries, domestic production and processing capacities would have to be expanded. In addition, the circular economy and innovations must be promoted.
Photo: iStock/frantic00
