WindEurope has welcomed a new European Commission initiative introducing tripartite contracts aimed at accelerating offshore wind development, while urging EU governments to commit to building 15 gigawatts (GW) of new offshore capacity annually from 2031.
The announcement follows an informal meeting of EU Energy Ministers, during which the concept of tripartite contracts — involving governments, energy producers, and industrial consumers — was introduced to support the electrification of heavy industry with clean energy sources. The EU has identified offshore wind and grid infrastructure as the initial focus areas for the contracts.
In a statement, WindEurope said: “Many large industrial companies are already signing power purchase agreements (PPAs) with offshore wind farms. Government support to help unlock such investments, which is what tripartite contracts envisage, is essential to deliver the volumes needed – both of new offshore wind farms and investment in industry electrification.”
The industry body emphasised that further governmental action is needed to streamline permitting processes, accelerate grid deployment, and provide long-term visibility on auction volumes to create a stable investment environment.
“A key element of this business case is clear visibility from governments on the volumes of new wind they want and when they’re going to auction them. And certainty from governments that the volumes are going to be big enough,” the group said.
WindEurope is calling for a “New Deal on offshore wind,” urging EU governments to commit to installing 15GW of new offshore wind capacity annually between 2031 and 2040. In return, the industry pledges to reduce offshore wind costs by 30% over the same period.
