REPowerEU: Progress and Innovations in the European Energy Transition

On May 14, the second anniversary of REPowerEU was celebrated, the EU's ambitious energy policy response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

This program has significantly accelerated the permitting process for wind farms, increasing their presence in the continent's energy mix, with the share of wind energy now representing 19% of the total.

REPowerEU: The Three Main Pillars of the Program

Faced with the Russian threat to its energy security and economic competitiveness, the EU responded decisively by launching REPowerEU with the aim of drastically reducing dependence on Russian gas imports, which had led to one of the continent's most acute energy crises.

The program focused on three main pillars:

Energy efficiency;
Diversification of gas import sources;
Expansion of domestic renewable energy production capacities.
The results of REPowerEU have been remarkable. In just two years, the share of wind energy in the electricity mix has risen from 14% to 19%, and annual wind energy production has increased from 375 to 466 TWh. This has reduced natural gas consumption by about 95 billion cubic meters per year and avoided the emission of 119 million tons of CO2.

The wind industry now contributes €52 billion to the EU's GDP and employs over 300,000 people, with further growth expected given the EU's goal to increase the share of wind energy to 35% by 2030, and over half by 2050.

As part of recently launched initiatives to maintain the momentum of REPowerEU, the European Commission has proposed new guidelines and recommendations for designing renewable auctions, simplifying permits, and establishing acceleration areas for renewable energy. Additionally, a digital platform for auction planning has been launched to help industry and governments better coordinate.

REPowerEU: Raising Standards in Wind Auctions and Strengthening Europe's Energy Infrastructure

Europe is determined not to base future wind auctions solely on price, instead promoting criteria that value innovation and supply chain resilience. In this context, stricter prequalification criteria, such as cybersecurity and responsible corporate conduct, have been imposed to raise the level of implemented technologies.

Finally, to further strengthen the growth of the renewable sector, Europe aims to improve the design of grid infrastructure and promote the electrification of heavy industry, ensuring a level playing field for clean technologies both at the European and global levels.

Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope, highlighted the importance of REPowerEU in transitioning Europe towards a more sustainable and less dependent energy system: “After the invasion of Ukraine, the EU could have retreated from its Green Deal commitments. Instead, they chose to double down on renewables, an approach that has proven effective. REPowerEU marked a decisive change, pushing Europe towards energy self-sufficiency with clean and affordable resources.”