The European Union has made a preliminary agreement to set a binding renewable energy target for member states of 32% by 2030.
This is an increase from the 27% put forward by the European Commission in late 2016 and will be reviewed in 2023 with the goal of increasing it further.
“Renewables are good for Europe, and today, Europe is good at renewables. This deal is a hard-won victory in our efforts to unlock the true potential of Europe’s clean energy transition. This new ambition will help us meet our Paris Agreement goals and will translate into more jobs, lower energy bills for consumers and less energy imports. I am particularly pleased with the new European target of 32%. The binding nature of the target will also provide additional certainty to the investors,” said Miguel Arias Cañete, European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy.
Industry body Wind Europe welcomed the news, adding “we expect the Council and European Parliament to formally endorse this agreement in the coming weeks”.
