On 20-22 March 2024, representatives of the UWEA Secretariat and a number of its member companies took part in the WindEurope Annual Event 2024 – a key gathering place for onshore and offshore wind energy, which this year was held in the capital of the Basque Country – Bilbao. The event aimed at advocating wind energy to ensure the livelihoods of Europeans, the energy security of the European region, and the preservation of its climate and nature, this year was held under the tagline “Our wind, our value – Creating value for Europe, living in line with European values”. The three-day exhibition and conference gathered more than 12,000 people, 520 exhibiting companies, 14 Ministers and 400 other speakers from politics, industry and academia.
Traditionally the conference was opened with a ministerial session. Roman Andarak, Director General of the Directorate for Strategic Planning and European Integration of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, gave one of the keynote speeches. Thus, Mr. Andarak emphasized the importance of wind for Ukraine’s postwar “green” recovery and its continued sustainable development and growth. “Every wind turbine, whether it is installed in Ukraine or the EU, means less consumption of russian gas and less income for killing civilians, both the elderly and children. Every megawatt of clean energy significantly contributes to our common European energy security,” stated Mr. Andarak.
Teresa Ribera Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge of Spain, Philipp Nimmermann, Germany Federal Secretary of State for Energy, Carolina Novac, State Secretary, Ministry of Energy of Moldova, Alexandra Sdoukou, Deputy Minister of Energy and Environment of Greece, and Çetin Ali Dönmez, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology of Türkiye shared their views on Delivering the energy transition at the ministerial session.
The first day of the conference was marked by the signing of a “Spanish Wind Charter” designed to strengthen the nation’s commitment to expanding the industry in what is already one of its capacity and supply chain heartlands. Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope, said: “Last year’s EU Wind Power Package was a game changer – 15 immediate actions to strengthen Europe’s wind industry and speed up the expansion of wind energy. …Twenty-six governments then signed a European Wind Charter committing to implement the Package. It’s great that Spain is now delivering on that commitment by signing a national Wind Charter spelling out the actions the Government and industry are going to take.”
Ukrainian wind energy market was showcased at WindEurope’s annual event also by a special UWEA’s side-event “Investing in the wind energy sector of Ukraine today”. The national discussion held on March 22, 2024, coincided with the most extensive missile and drone attack by russian federation on energy infrastructure across Ukraine.
Speakers of the panel – Oleksandr Selishchev, DTEK Renewables, Mykhailo Chulkov, Eurocape Ukraine 1 LLC, Ivan Bondarchuk, LCF Law Group, and Maksym Artemenko, Elementum Energy – discussed the opportunities and challenges of running a wind power business in Ukraine, specifically the implementation of wind projects during the war, and their plans for expanding their business portfolios in the country. The discussion was moderated by Kateryna Knysh, Head of Analytics at the UWEA, and Director of Business Development at MCL Group, the UWEA’s member company.
The issue of investing in the Ukrainian wind energy business was also raised by Ms. Knysh when chairing one of the sessions of the conference entitled “Financing wind energy projects at a time of high-interest rates”. Speakers of the session included representatives of such companies and financial organizations as Statkraft, Brookfield Asset Management, the European Investment Bank, the International Finance Corporation, and the International Sustainable Finance Center.
The Ukrainian delegation at the 2024 WindEurope event also included representatives from other UWEA member companies such as WindFarm, Crane Ukraine, and CWP.
Andriy Konechenkov, Chairman of the UWEA Board: “The visibility of Ukraine’s wind power market at international wind events has been increasing year by year. Our market demonstrates its survivability and growth amidst the war, which certainly attracts the attention of international partners. As of today, up to 50% of investors actively engaged in the wind market in Ukraine are international ones, who keep on doing their business in Ukraine despite the existing political and military risks. I am optimistic that this share will increase as UWEA is actively cooperating with the government to minimize all risks, protect our investors, and improve permitting procedures. I want to thank WindEurope for allowing us to be represented and heard at their event.”
