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Wind energy: the power of security, the power of Europe

Published in: Wind, Exclusive Articles, Conference Call

Wind energy: the power of security, the power of Europe image

The ongoing escalation in Iran and the, once again, spiralling power prices in Europe prove one thing: renewables are the only future-proof energy strategy for Europe. Wind energy is affordable and home grown. It shields Europe from geopolitical crises and fossil-fuelled price swings. It’s central to the region’s energy security and industrial competitiveness. WindEurope’s Annual Event this year, from 21st to 23rd April in Madrid, will showcase how Europe can ramp up its security strategy with a faster build-out of wind energy.

The last few weeks have shown, yet again, how vulnerable Europe’s current energy system is to geopolitical shocks. Natural gas prices in Europe quickly rose by more than 40% after the escalation in the Middle East on 28th February, reaching their highest levels since 2023.

At the time of writing, experts still struggle to predict future gas prices in Europe or whether it will have enough gas to get through the next winter. Their hardly reassuring conclusion, ‘we should be fine, if the war does not last long.’ Meanwhile, EU leaders are hastily planning new crisis meetings.

This new energy crisis lays the truth bare: Europe is simply too exposed to volatile fossil fuel imports. It spends €500bn a year on importing energy, most of it fossil fuels. Rising oil prices mean that Europe has spent a further €6bn on fossil imports in the three weeks since the start of the Iran conflict.

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