WindEurope has published the ‘Madrid Call to Action’, urging European Union leaders to treat electrification as a strategic priority. The document outlines ten policy measures aimed at strengthening Europe’s energy system and restoring confidence over the coming decade.
The proposed actions are:
- Fast-track permitting by treating wind energy as an overriding public interest and applying tacit approval for the next nine months
- Award at least 80% of bids in wind auctions to avoid artificial scarcity
- Repower ageing wind farms to increase output, potentially tripling generation with fewer turbines
- Prioritise grid connections for mature and strategic projects, while removing stalled projects from connection queues
- Scale up grid equipment manufacturing through framework contracts
- Increase European Union grid funding by a factor of five and attract private investment
- Remove value added tax on heat pumps and electric vehicles
- Prioritise electrification in low- and medium-temperature industrial processes
- Reduce taxes on electricity to improve affordability
- Simplify state aid rules to support industrial adoption of renewable energy through power purchase agreements
