Europe must tear down the barriers that are hindering the free flow of electricity and drastically increase interconnection to push Member States toward an Energy Union, according to a paper released by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).
EWEA has today published a position paper that outlines the wind industry’s vision of an Energy Union in Europe, identifying five priorities that policymakers need to address. These include guaranteeing stable legislation, supplying energy security, finishing the internal energy market, bolstering technology development and trade and finally, combating climate change. EWEA is calling for a number of key actions on Energy Union including a 20% interconnection target by 2030; construction of a 500MW offshore wind farm in Poland by 2020 funded in part by the European Fund for Strategic Investment ; and allocation of revenues from the Emissions Trading System to spur deployment of innovative technologies. EWEA’s Energy Union paper also states that any move toward a single energy market with harmonised legislation and mutually-dependent systems should make national energy markets obsolete without destroying Member State sovereignty.