Bremerhaven/Copenhagen, 26 April 2023. This year, for the first time, the German offshore wind industry association WAB e.V. presented the Germany stand together with its members under the motto “Made in Germany” at WindEurope 2023 from 25 to 27 April in Copenhagen (Hall D | Stand F- 42/F-44).
This was made possible by funding from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK). Heike Winkler, Managing Director of WAB, sees this as an opportunity to give German plant manufacturers, suppliers and service providers the best possible support in the international competition for tenders and projects. At the same time, she is aware of the need for urgently needed cross-border supply chains, the exchange of know-how between the countries bordering the North Sea and the Baltic Sea in the areas of employee qualification, port and transport logistics and in cooperation with the maritime industry. „We are pleased to be able to offer our domestic companies from the wind and hydrogen industries a good stage under the “Made in Germany” umbrella,” says WAB Managing Director Heike Winkler.
2023 is a crucial year for the offshore wind industry in Germany and across Europe. More than twice the amount of offshore wind power already installed has been put out to tender this year. According to the realisation agreement of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK), 50 gigawatts are to be connected to the grid by 2035 and at least four gigawatts are to produce green hydrogen in the North and Baltic Seas. To achieve these goals, the supply chain must be able to grow with the expansion targets. Currently, however, companies in the supply chain are facing some bottlenecks, such as the availability of skilled labour, rising costs and decreasing availability of raw materials.
Co-exhibitors at the WAB joint booth are clockworkX, NW Assekuranz, Steel Inspect, Steelwind Nordenham, Wind Multiplikator, Wölfel Group and IN – innovative navigation. The WAB Community Stand offers its companies a special opportunity for exchange with the Speakers Corner.
Why participation is worthwhile from a national and international perspective at the WAB – Community Stand is summarised by the members of the industry association as follows:
For Managing Director Ralf Tabbert of NW Assekuranz, international industry networking is a decisive factor. “Participation in WindEurope is obligatory for us, as it is a unique meeting place for leading companies in the wind industry. Achieving global expansion targets for onshore and offshore wind power requires intensive industry networking to create a mutual understanding of the needs of companies across the value chain. We are particularly looking forward to learning more about the latest developments and trends, to the many appointments already arranged with our international partners and to new contacts.”
Jonas Hieber, Sales Engineer at in-innovative navigation GmbH, emphasises the opportunity for cross- industry solutions: “At the WAB joint stand at WindEurope in Copenhagen, we want to exchange ideas with our co-exhibitors and visitors and explore cross-industry approaches for a green future. As a global provider of navigation systems and land-based traffic monitoring systems for the maritime industry, we stand for a future-oriented and reliable monitoring solution for offshore wind farms.”
Timo Klaas, Sales Director at Wölfel Wind Systems underlines the importance of high-level international exchange for his company: “As the European market leader in structural health monitoring of offshore wind farms and manufacturer of vibration dampers, which are becoming increasingly important, it is crucial for us at Wölfel Wind Systems to participate in the upcoming WindEurope conference. This event offers us the perfect opportunity to present our latest developments and innovations, make valuable contacts and exchange ideas with the best minds in the industry. We are convinced that this event will help us to strengthen our position as a leading provider of wind energy solutions in Europe and further drive our growth.”
“The development of offshore wind energy and green hydrogen offers a great opportunity for employment and value creation. We need a major training and qualification offensive and must ensure that the climate balance of offshore wind projects is a priority criterion in all offshore wind auctions, along with other sustainability criteria. A decisive step is also to strengthen the maritime industry and shipyards as well as the port infrastructure, which is absolutely necessary for the maritime energy transition. The national expansion targets in Germany and Europe can only be achieved with international cooperation,” says WAB e.V. Managing Director Heike Winkler.
Already at the start of the fair on Monday, a WAB reception planned together with the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) took place at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Copenhagen. In his speech, the German Ambassador Dr .Pascal Hector also emphasised the importance of German-Danish cooperation for achieving the European expansion goals.
