A majority of MEPs have backed the setting of an EU-wide 2030 renewable electricity generation target. It would be higher than the 20% target set for 2020, though a proposal to set a 45% target was rejected by just one vote.
Around 520 MEPs attended today's plenary session in Brussels to discuss the EU's 2050 Energy Roadmap. Parliamentary support for a new 2030 target is the first step towards enshrining the target in EU law. On 27 March, the European Commission will publish its Green Paper.
The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) welcomed the MEPs' support for a 2030 target."The parliament has once again recognised what a strong renewables industry, driven by ambitious targets, can do for Europe's economy, jobs, energy security and the climate," said Stephane Bourgeois, EWEA head of regulatory affairs.
"The European Commission must heed the parliament's support for a target when it publishes its Green Paper on 2030 energy policy in the next few weeks."
Offshore wind alone could contribute 5.6% of EU electricity generation by 2030, according to a recent report published by WWF.
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