The WindEurope 2025 event in Copenhagen became the key platform for consensus among governments, industry leaders, and institutions on how to scale up offshore wind and accelerate Europe"s electrification.
At the heart of the event was the proposal of a New Offshore Wind Pact for Europe, urging governments to commit to auctioning at least 100GW of new offshore wind capacity between 2031 and 2040, using two-sided Contracts for Difference (CfDs) to de-risk investment and ensure predictable returns.
"Visibility on volume and revenues from a stable CfD auction pipeline will help lower costs and ensure offshore wind delivers on Europe"s energy goals, the industry document states.
In return, the industry pledges to reduce the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) by 30% by 2040 through investment, innovation, and improved risk mitigation across the supply chain.
CfDs and regional planning to unlock bankable projectsThe new pact recommends CfD-based auctions with fixed and indexed prices, scheduled evenly: 10GW per year over the 2031 2040 period.
This structure would enable cross-border coordination, support investor confidence and optimise the supply chain"s response capacity.
"A well-designed CfD can lower capital costs by two percentage points, cutting electricity prices over a project"s life by more than 15%, noted Duncan Clark, Head of European Development at rsted.
The plan links stable offtake mechanisms to a broader strategy: "These priorities must be accompanied by measures to accelerate electrification and support energy-intensive industries" competitiveness, the proposal adds.
EU Commission backs offshore wind push with Clean Industrial DealDitte Juul Jørgensen, Director-General for Energy at the European Commission, confirmed that the Clean Industrial Deal will provide a stable and predictable investment framework for renewables:"The programme will ensure we"re ready for the next energy crisis.
But we must deliver these measures on the ground, she said.
The package includes short-term steps to improve PPA access and reduce permitting bottlenecks while also setting out an Electrification Plan to scale up clean energy demand.
Denmark and Ukraine join forces to rebuild a green energy futureOn the international front, Green Power Denmark and the Ukrainian Wind Energy Association (UWEA) signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly support the recovery of Ukraine"s devastated energy infrastructure.
"Green Power Denmark is ready to share our world-leading wind power expertise.
A comprehensive green transition is the only viable path for Ukraine"s future energy supply, said Kristian Jensen, CEO of Green Power Denmark.
Andriy Konechenkov, Chairman of UWEA, added:"The war has damaged our energy system, but not our spirit.
Wind power means resilience, independence, and peace.
The partnership will include training programmes, technical exchanges and co-development, aiming to help Ukraine reach its 24GW renewable energy target by 2030.
Investment, hydrogen and electricity taxation at the core of policy debateSven Utermohlen, CEO of RWE"s offshore wind division, warned that auctions can only be deemed successful once projects reach a final investment decision (FID)."Many projects win bids, but their business cases just don"t work, he stressed, citing supply chain inflation and merchant risks.
A key topic was also the integration of green hydrogen with offshore wind.
A joint report by Elia Group, Gascade and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners proposes co-locating electrolysers with wind farms offshore to optimise production and reduce grid costs.
SEurope needs 200 billion annually in energy system investment.
Private capital is available, but we need the right regulatory conditions, said Thomas Dalsgaard, Partner at CIP.
The event also highlighted the burden of electricity taxes and levies, which remain a major barrier to electrification compared to the US and China.SThe problem isn"t wholesale prices it"s excessive regulated charges.
Many of these should be shifted to general taxation, argued Pierre Tardieu, Chief Policy Officer at WindEurope.
Industry calls for predictable frameworks to deliver on offshore goalsrsted CEO Rasmus Errboe issued a final call to action on behalf of the offshore wind sector:SEurope faces unprecedented challenges.
But with predictable auctions and CfDs, we can reverse the recent 50% cost increase and cut costs by 30%.
He warned, however, that price signals alone won"t be enough:"We must stimulate electricity demand through electrification and proactive grid investments.
We"re ready to do our part.
Governments must do theirs, he concluded.