E.ON believes industrial standards and strong partnerships are essential to deliver ambitious renewable growth
Dr. Frank Mastiaux, CEO of E.ON’s renewable energy business, has recently outlined the massive potential of working in partnership across industry and government to ensure wind energy grows at the ambitious rate required to meet worldwide targets.
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Speaking at the second World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, Frank Mastiaux told conference delegates that improvements at all stages of the value chain – including planning, construction and maintenance of wind farms – are essential if the world is to truly move towards low carbon electricity.
Mastiaux said: “If companies like E.ON are to realise our project pipelines and actually get MW on the ground, the wind industry has to move from boutique to truly industrial levels of output”. E.ON Climate & Renewables is currently building the world’s largest onshore wind farm at Roscoe in Texas, USA. Alongside Masdar and DONG Energy, E.ON is also developing the world’s largest offshore wind farm, the London Array, off the coast of South East England.
“No one manufacturer or developer will have all the answers or be able to solve all the inherent challenges by themselves. The market will drive innovation in our sector as long as the policy frameworks are in place to continue encouraging growth.
It is right that the EU and others have ambitious targets for the renewable sector. And it is right that the industry steps up to the challenges it faces and makes the fundamental changes required to deliver the low carbon electricity the world so desperately needs,” said Frank.
E.ON Climate & Renewables has historically put a strong emphasis on strategic partnerships. For example, a collaborative agreement with Siemens aims to jointly improve the availability and cost position of wind technology. The company has also entered a global renewables alliance with Masdar.
Starting with the offshore wind project London Array in the UK, the two partners intend to work together across a range of large-scale projects that will complement their existing renewable energy strategies.
