Eusew’s digital ambassador, Heike Winkler explores how fair bidding and sustainability in offshore wind power can drive competitiveness and fair energy transition.
We are moving from an economy based on fossil energy to an economy based on renewable resources. What is more obvious than supporting this development and strengthening the renewable, maritime, circular economy and green steel industries? The motto of Eusew 2025 is perfectly suited to the European offshore wind industry, “to promote fair and competitive green transitions.”
The motto of this year’s Wind Tulope Annual Event 2025, just held in Copenhagen, was “Scale-Up, Electrification, Delivery – Wind at the heart of European competitiveness.” At the recent Windeurope Conference, the offshore wind industry jointly proposed a new offshore wind deal with the European government to achieve its ambitious expansion targets. Resilience and sustainability require close cooperation between business and politics to succeed on the ongoing change challenges. Adequate volume and a stable supply chain expansion path are important.
Sustainability requires resilience
For over 20 years, the offshore wind industry has been characterized by impressively rapidly growing know-how from a variety of European industries, strong resilience, incredible innovative forces and harmonious synergies.
More than the fossil industry has had to achieve this, significant reductions in the levelled energy costs (LCOE) of offshore wind energy have been achieved. This development has created permanent cost pressures and harmed the sector.
Decarbonization of the offshore wind industry itself was part of the industrialization process from the start. The current example is Nordlicht 1 and 2 projects in the German North Sea. There, a significant reduction in CO2 steel emissions is expected (i.e., by using steel towers).
Equal arenas and competitiveness
The competitive distortion and discontinuity have led to repeated questions in recent years. For example, in 2016, German Threadbreak (Faddenlis) received a bid for a new offshore wind project at a construction stop in the US, and more recently placed a bid.
In Germany, many businesses have gone out of business, many experiences have been lost, thousands of employees have lost their jobs, and their experience has also been lost in the industry. The resilience of the sector is extremely important, especially with regard to current geopolitical uncertainty, with regard to energy supply.
With equal arenas and robust expansion paths, the wind industry would have grown significantly faster.
Net Zero Industrial Law and Qualitative Standards in the Bidding Process
At the same time, in line with Draghi’s report on EU competitiveness, clean industrial contracts must accelerate reindustrialization and energy-intensive transformation, along with European competitiveness.
Industry resilience and sustainability requires close cooperation between business and policy. There, better sourcing practices can promote European interests in the wind sector. For example, the carbon footprint bidding criteria must apply to more than 50% of future renewable energy bids. This is very important. At the same time, it could increase the market preparation of the European renewable energy industry and thus the competitiveness of Europe, while also increasing the chances of achieving resilience.
With each long transport route, carbon footprint increases and project additional values generally reduce where they are installed. The EU has developed a consultation process to strengthen the net-zero industry, including renewable energy auctions and implementation laws on non-price standards. The results are currently awaited.
There is no alternative to the sustainable and resilient (2IN1) domestic offshore wind supply chain to reach a sustainable energy transition that creates value-added to European industries. If the transformation of energy-intensive industries is to provide climate protection, energy sovereignty and industrial growth simultaneously, the carbon emissions standards in offshore bidding are important. In Europe, there is no cost-effective, sustainable energy systems without offshore wind energy.
This commentary has been compiled in collaboration with Europe Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) 2025 for more information. See Ec.europa.eu/Eusew.
Recommended links
Draghi’s Report: Detailed Analysis and Recommendations (Part B) Net Zero Industrial Act without Offshore Wind Foundation is the Offshore Wind Foundation recommendations (EU) 2021/2279 for use of the Environmental Footprint Method on December 15, 2021, Offshore Wind Foundation recommendations (EU) 2021/2279 for use on December 15, 2021, measuring and communicating the environmental performance of the product and standard equipment for offshore wind carbon plants – 2025.
About the author
Heike Winkler works as a management consultant under the Offshore Wind Communications label and has approximately 16 years of professional experience in the offshore wind industry. She was the first chair and co-founder of nonprofit organization Meerfrauen EV from 2019 to the end of 2023, and was the managing director of the Innovation Cluster and Wind Industry Association and “Green” Hydrogen.
Prior to this, she worked as a freelance spokesman, wind farm operator, PR consultant for O&M companies, and freelance journalist for the offshore wind industry from 2015 to 2019.
Heike Winkler holds a Masters degree in Economic and Social Psychology and Politics.
Neither the European Commission nor is it liable for any use that may be made from the information in the article by anyone acting on the Commission. The only opinion expressed is the author and should not be considered representative of the official position of the European Commission.
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