Belgium: Strong Economic Benefits with Renewable Targets

With its new Renewable Energy Strategy the European Commission in Brussels today presented major reasons to favour legally binding renewable energy targets for 2030.

The Strategy notably says:

– “Strong renewables growth to 2030 could generate over 3 million jobs”.

– “A continuation of an EU-wide specific renewable energy framework post-2020

[…] would result in a net GDP growth by 0.36-0.40% by 2030″.

– “This increases our security of supply”.

– “The EU economy could save in 2050 between 518 and 550 billion Euros…[on]…EU expenditure for fossil fuel imports”.

“European Ministers must turn this message into action and back a renewable energy target for 2030, as supported by the Strategy’s Impact Assessment”, said Stephane Bourgeois, Head of Regulatory Affairs of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) in Brussels. “A legally binding renewable energy target for 2030 is crucial if we want to foster Europe’s leadership in wind energy, and in particular offshore wind”.

EWEA also backs the European Commission’s criticism of recent abrupt changes in support mechanisms for renewable energies in several EU Member States: “Retroactive changes in support mechanisms undermine investor confidence in the sector and could put the 2020 renewable energy targets at risk. We share the Commission’s concerns, but the Commission must now take all legal means to prevent this”, said Bourgeois.

[mappress]

Offshore WIND staff, June 06, 2012