Speech European Offshore Wind Conference, Berlin, Germany 04 December 2007
Maud Olofsson, Minister for Enterprise and Energy, Deputy Prime Minister

Speech by Maud Olofsson, European Offshore Wind Conference

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Ladies and gentlemen

First of all I would like to thank the European Wind Energy Association for inviting me to participate in this opening session of the Offshore Wind Conference and Exhibition.

Yesterday, representatives of over 180 countries and NGO:s gathered in Bali/Indonesia to discuss climate change. The European Commission is finalising its proposals for a system of binding targets for reductions in greenhouse gases and ensure an increased share of renewable energy.

We all know that actions to reduce negative human influence on the earth have to be taken without delay in every country. And at all levels of society - by governments, researchers, industry and individuals.

Environmental technology is central to achieving results. We should welcome all global and European initiatives that force us to deal with carbon emissions. I strongly believe that using political instruments - such as binding targets - we will find new solutions. If we go further in Europe we will be leaders in providing new technology.

The share of renewable energy of the Swedish energy consumption is over 40 % and thereby the highest in the European Union. Through strong policy instruments we have increased the share by 10 % from 1990. If we look at the electricity sector, we have over 50 % renewable energy. The heating sector will soon be nearly 100 % free from fossil fuels. Our results show that it is possible to use policy instruments to achieve results and that we gained experiences and technology that are valuable for our competitiveness.

It is a priority for me to continue to increase the share of renewable energy. This ambition will of course become gradually more difficult because we have already picked the lowest hanging fruits. A key challenge is to develop new and cost effective energy technologies.

This conference is a very important forum for discussing one of the possible solutions on how to deal with climate change. I am therefore happy that so many stakeholders are here today. Together we can make difference.

Swedish Enery Use- Wind Policy

This year there is more wind power being built in Sweden than ever before. Half of the capacity is offshore. Next year we will reach more than 1000 MW. During this and next year we build more wind power than in the last 20 years. The Swedish Energy Agency estimates that additional around 2500- 3000 MW will be built by 2016. Our market based green certificate system has proven to be an effective tool to introduce new production of renewable electricity. It creates a competition between different renewable energy sources and gives us the most renewable energy for the money.

I'm proud to say that Sweden was the first European country to operate offshore a wind turbine. Today we have turbines in 4 different sites and the total installed capacity offshore is over 135 MW. I think its is fair to say that we have contributed to develop a better knowledge about offshore wind power being a pioneer country. One result is that many of the environmental concerns no longer seems to be a problem. This has also been confirmed by Danish studies. In the future, I think it is important to consider the visual effects of wind power. How do we tackle that some people are disturbed by the turbines? The planning process is crucial but also the design, when wind power production increases there will be a need to take the visual effects seriously to avoid a backlash.

Today the wind power development offshore is dominated by other countries, for example Denmark and UK. Germany - our host, is also aiming very high in this area which is impressing. Offshore wind power offers many opportunities  there is a vast potential if we can meet the remaining technological challenges. Europe is already leading the development of offshore wind and we have an advantage compared to the rest of the world. There are industrial reasons for keeping the lead.

The global development of wind power during the last years is very impressing. The technology on land has proven to be an efficient alternative to conventional technologies for electricity production.

Offshore Wind Power

There is a need to develop the offshore technology. In Sweden offshore wind power is a resource with great potential. We support a number of initiatives focused R&D and demonstration projects. The 110 MW Lillgrund project that has been built this year is one example of this. Next year there will be a new project in our biggest lake so the development is continuing.

The development of cost-effective offshore wind power cannot only be achieved by national initiatives. We need stronger European cooperation. There has been an informal cooperation between the Member states that have had the most interest in offshore wind. Later today I will sign a joint declaration together with my colleagues from Denmark and Germany on cooperation in the field of research on offshore wind energy deployment. This cooperation - between our countries - is a good an example of cooperation which is needed to achieve results in the future. This is one step in implementing the Berlin Declaration from earlier this year. I also encourage other interested states to participate. Sweden is making efforts for more progress in this area. We are taking the lead in the policy co-operation aiming at a policy conference in 2009 and we encourage the Commission to fulfilling the intentions regarding off-shore wind power.

I would like to emphasize the strong need to develop the offshore technology in order to fully utilize its potential as a large scale and cost effective energy source. On the European level I think the development of a technology platform is a promising initiative. It is a good way of bringing companies together with policymakers. The main driving force to develop offshore wind must be the commercial interest for offshore of turbine manufacturers. This should be supported by public funding on national, EU and international level. Beside this, we also need the strong commitment from the power producing industry - the investors. I am especially happy to see that the Swedish state owned company Vattenfall is now entering into the wind power arena. I have great expectations that there will be several more projects - both on land and offshore.

Conclusion

Ladies and gentlemen,
Green energy technology has a vast potential with many benefits. First of all it is a key solution for the challenge of climate change and security of energy supply. At the same time it generates business development and important job opportunities. The growth in the environmental technology sector is fast and wind power is an important part of this development.

This event gives fantastic possibilities to exchange experiences between different actors and give the offshore wind power a push forward. I hope it will bring new elements in the discussion on the need for action in order to meet the 2020 targets on renewable energy and climate and which immediate actions that needs to be taken by the stakeholders. When I look at the EU 2020 target it is easy to conclude that we need to exploit many different renewable energy sources and offshore wind will be important for many countries including Sweden. I finally wish you all welcome to the next EWEA offshore conference and exhibition in Sweden in 2009 during the Swedish presidency of the European Union. Until then we all have an important task to deliver results - to increase the knowledge and bring offshore wind to the next level.

Thank you very much for you attention!