Recently, Europe has been approving several state aid schemes in line with the objectives of the Clean Industrial Deal, including a €5 billion ($8.32 billion) Danish scheme to support offshore wind energy.
Earlier this week, the European Commission approved the scheme which will contribute to the transition toward a net zero economy and reaching the 2030 renewable energy target set at EU level.
The Danish scheme will support construction and operation of two offshore wind farms – Hesselø and North Sea I Mid.
Hesselø is expected to have a capacity of at least 0.8 gigawatts, generating around 3.2 terawatts per hour annually. North Sea I Mid is expected to have a minimum capacity of one gigawatt, generating around 4.6 terawatts per hour annually.
The combined annual production of these two wind farms will represent the equivalent of around 25% of last year’s total electricity production in Denmark.
In parallel, the European Commission has also approved a French scheme to support the production of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen in line with the aim of the EU Hydrogen Strategy and Clean Industrial Deal.
The scheme will support the construction of 1 gigawatt of hydrogen electrolysis capacity and will contribute to France’s effort to achieve 4.5 gigawatt of electrolyser capacity by 2030 and eight gigawatt of capacity by 2035.
France expects that the scheme will lead to up to 1,100 kilotons of CO2 being avoided annually.
As part of the scheme, the first tender concerns 200 megawatts of electrolysis capacity with an estimated budget of €797 million.
According to the European Environmental Agency, 25.4% of all final energy consumed in the EU was obtained from renewable sources in 2024 – representing a 1% growth rate from the previous year.
The increase was largely driven by growth of solar and wind power, followed by heat pumps.
Meeting the new minimum EU target for renewable sources of 42.5% by 2030 will require doubling the rates of renewables deployment seen over the past decade.
The EU aims to be climate neutral by 2050 – an economy with net zero greenhouse gas emissions. Renewable energy is considered critical for building a more sustainable future. Unlike fossil fuels, renewables such as solar and wind produce little to no greenhouse gases or pollutants.
Europe’s sustainability
Over in Germany, Nordex (ETR:NDX1) has also received the first order for a N175/6.X turbine for Westfälisch-Niedersächsische Energie’s 21 megawatt Marienmünster-Altenbergen project in North Rhine-Westphalia.
With the implementation of this project, Nordex will install its highest series-produced wind turbine during the course of 2027.
Three N175/6.X turbines will be supplied, each with a nominal output of seven megawatts. The turbines will be installed on Nordex’s self-developed hybrid tower system with a hub height of 199m.
Construction of the foundations is scheduled to begin in September 2026, with commissioning of the wind farm planned in the German summer of 2027.
Vice President of regional central Karsten Brüggemann says the company is opening up entirely new possibilities for customers in terms of economical and market-oriented wind power generation compared to other turbine types.
Westfälisch-Niedersächsische Energie’s Managing Director Alexander Möhring says the company is pleased to conduct this pilot project with Nordex and to contribute to the wind energy sector.
“The extraordinary hub height of 199 meters represents an important step for our region in moving away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy, thanks to the increased reliability of wind turbine yields,” Möhring says.
Nordex has commissioned more than 64 gigawatts of wind power capacity in over 40 markets since 1985 and generated consolidated sales of around €7.6 billion ($12.65 billion) in 2025. The company has more than 11,100 employees with a manufacturing network that includes factories in Germany, Spain, Brazil, India and the US.
Further, mid-week the European Commission adopted a new guidance to help member states adapt the Natura 2000 network of protected natural sites to the pressures of climate change.
The non legally binding guidance provides recommendations on practical adaptation measures and a climate adaptation framework. It provides member states with the flexibility to tailor adaptation measures to national and regional circumstances.
It sets out how to plan and implement adaptation measures, adjust site boundaries and conservation objectives, restore degraded habitats to increase resilience, and build strategic partnerships with sectors such as agriculture, water management and disaster prevention.
According to the European Commission, Europe is warming at roughly twice the global average rate, exposing ecosystems, habitats and species which intensifies heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and flooding.
The Natura 2000 network, covering 18.6% of EU land and over 10.5% of its seas, is home to a large share of Europe’s biodiversity. The commission says degraded ecosystems are releasing greenhouse gases and lose their capacity to store carbon.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Unsplash
