The event comes at a decisive moment for Europe’s energy security

Bilbao Exhibition Centre takes up the baton from Copenhagen and will host WindEurope’s Annual Event for the second time, from 5 to 7 April. The event will feature a conference programme with more than 300 speakers and a wide range of exhibitors forming the entire wind energy value chain.

 With under one month to go, WindEurope´s conference programme will feature more than 300 speakers, who will cover topics as significant to the sector as supply chain competitiveness, floating offshore wind, energy prices, sustainability, or digitisation. Bilbao Exhibition Centre will once again host this event, which will combine an exhibition and a conference with broad representation of companies and professionals from the offshore and onshore wind energy sector.

Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope, said that the event “comes at a decisive moment for European energy policy. The EU is determined now to reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels while keeping electricity affordable. The accelerated deployment of renewables is central to this. The WindEurope Annual Event 2022 in Bilbao will focus on how we can deliver the massive and rapid expansion of wind energy that Europe’s energy security requires.”

Following the success of the 2019 event, which was attended by 8,500 professionals from 80 countries and which generated an economic impact of 10.5 million euros in terms of Gross Domestic Product, WindEurope is returning to BEC with an event that is again expected to attract more than 8,000 visitors. For Iñigo Ansola, General Director of the Basque Energy Agency, the Basque Government’s energy agency, “The Basque Country has a highly attractive industrial and technological ecosystem in the wind energy sector to consolidate an industrial event such as WindEurope in Bilbao, as it offers excellent business opportunities for the sector as a whole. The Basque Country is a technological benchmark and has been able to export its innovation all over the world. At a time when we need to take new steps towards another, less dependent energy reality, it also wants to be a leader in floating wind power, the new frontier in the sector that will emerge in the coming years”.

The entire European wind energy value chain, both onshore and offshore, will be at BEC. In the words of José Ignacio Hormaeche, Managing Director of the Energy Cluster: “Holding WindEurope in Bilbao is a recognition of the significance of the wind energy value chain in the Basque Country. It is a unique opportunity to showcase our capabilities and technological potential, to strengthen contacts, reach agreements and decisively boosting this key market for the energy transition process”. The Basque Country is the centre of the wind power industry in Spain and plays a key role in the wind power supply chain. It currently has four onshore wind farms with a total installed capacity of 153 MW.

The EU and national Governments are relying on wind energy as a cornerstone of their efforts to meet the EU’s climate and energy targets. Today, wind energy accounts for 15% of Europe’s electricity consumption. Spain is the second largest country in Europe in terms of total wind energy capacity. Wind energy contributes more than 3 billion euros to Spain’s GDP and generates 28,000 jobs. Now, Spain is also embracing offshore wind, with an offshore wind roadmap targeting up to 3 GW of floating wind power by 2030.

Juan Virgilio Márquez, General Director of AEE – the Spanish Wind Energy Association highlights that “WindEurope 2022 in Bilbao is a key meeting for the players in the wind energy sector and highlights the leadership of the Spanish wind energy sector. It is an opportunity to analyse the forthcoming challenges and the wind energy roadmap for 2030 and 2050, key years in the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan’s (PNIEC) targets. In this sense, the wind energy sector is a key strategic element for the Spanish economy and an opportunity to lead the energy transition in our country. A technological commitment that already accounts for 23% of the contribution to the system, employs more than 30,000 professionals, contributes 3.1064 billion euros (0.30%) to Spanish GDP and has more than 250 industrial centres throughout Spain. Wind energy in Spain is a significant success story in terms of industrial and technological development and the supply of clean energy, and is present in 100% of the value chain. To continue on this path of growth and as a centre of reference in industry and innovation, we have great challenges ahead of us: new auctions, new access and connection regulations, the launch of the first hybrid farms and the laying of the foundations for renewable H2, the development of floating offshore wind, as well as the importance of social consensus. WindEurope Bilbao 2022 will be a boost to continue growing as an industry of reference to contribute to the fight against climate change and the decarbonisation of the economy”.

Significant representation of Basque companies and organisations

WindEurope 2022 will feature leading companies and groups from the sector, who will be able to showcase their innovation and their latest cutting-edge products on the exhibition floor. The Basque representation will stand out among them; in this new edition, this will be coordinated by the Basque Energy Cluster, in collaboration with the Basque Energy Board (EVE). Under the name “Wind Energy Basque Country”, a total of 50 Basque companies and organisations will participate together in a space that will also feature a TV set to promote the different capacities of the wind energy value chain and to showcase the latest developments of the exhibiting companies, through a series of interviews with experts in the sector.

Likewise, in collaboration with the SPRI Group, as a representative of the European Enterprise Network, a matchmaking initiative has been developed, which is a further opportunity to establish contacts with potential clients, collaborators or suppliers around the event. Finally, WindTalks for innovation, a series of presentations by Basque and international companies and experts, will be organised in collaboration with Grupo SPRI and WindEurope around specific themes for each day of the event: Offshore & Floating Wind Energy (5 April); Energy Clusters Summit & Technology Day (6 April); and Talent Day (7 April).

Macquarie-Green Investment Group, Iberdrola, Repsol and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy are WindEurope 2022’s Event Ambassadors.