2-in-1: carbon footprint as a quality criterion in the NZIA – solving sustainability and resilience together

We are transitioning from an economy based on fossil energy to an economy based on renewable resources. What could be more obvious than for us to support this development and strengthen our renewable industries, the maritime industry, circular economy and the green steel industry? The motto of EUSEW 2025 ‘Powering a fair and competitive green transition’ fits perfectly with the European offshore wind industry.

The motto of this year's WindEurope Annual Event 2025, which has just taken place in Copenhagen, was ‘Scale up, Electrify, Deliver – Putting wind at the heart of Europe’s competitiveness.’ At the recent WindEurope conference, the offshore wind industry jointly proposed a new Offshore Wind Deal to European governments in order to achieve Europe's ambitious expansion targets. Resilience and sustainability require close cooperation between business and politics to successfully meet the challenges of the ongoing transformation. Sufficient volume and stable supply chain expansion paths are crucial.

Sustainability requires resilience

For more than two decades, the offshore wind industry has been characterised by an impressively fast-growing know-how, a strong resilience, remarkable innovative power and harmonious synergies from various European industries.

A considerable reduction in the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) of offshore wind energy has been achieved to date, more than the fossil industry has ever had to achieve. This development resulted in permanent cost pressure, which harms the sector.

Decarbonisation of the offshore wind industry itself has been part of the industrialisation process from the very beginning. A current example is the Nordlicht 1 and 2 project in the German North Sea, where a major reduction in CO2 steel emissions is expected to be realised (i.e. by using steel towers).

Level playing field and competitiveness

The level playing field has been repeatedly called into question in recent years due to competitive distortions and discontinuities, e.g. with the thread break (‘Fadenriss’) in Germany starting in 2016, when no more new offshore wind projects were put out to tender, or more recently with the construction stop in the USA. In Germany, many companies went out of business, a lot of experience was lost, thousands of employees lost their jobs and their experience was also lost to the industry. With the current geopolitical uncertainties, particularly regarding energy supply, the sector’s resilience is crucial.

With a level playing field and a robust expansion path, the wind industry would have grown significantly faster.

Net Zero Industry Act and qualitative criteria in tendering processes

At the same time, in line with the Draghi Report on EU competitiveness, the Clean Industrial Deal together with the Net Zero Industry Act, European competitiveness requires accelerating re-industrialisation and the transformation of energy-intensive companies.

Industrial resilience and sustainability require close cooperation between business and policy, where better procurement practices can advance European interests in the wind sector. For example, the carbon footprint tender criterion should be applied in more than 50% of the coming renewable energy tenders. This is critically important, as it could increase the likelihood of realisation, resilience, while at the same time enhancing the market readiness of European renewable energy industries and thus Europe's competitiveness. Every long transport route increases the carbon footprint and reduces the added value of the project in general and where it is to be installed. The EU developed a consultation process to strengthen the net-zero industries, which includes auctions for renewable energies and an implementing law on non-price criteria. The results are currently eagerly awaited.

‘In order to reach a sustainable energy transition that creates added value for European industry, there is no alternative to a sustainable, resilient (2in1) domestic offshore wind supply chain. The carbon footprint criterion in offshore wind tenders is crucial if the transformation of the energy-intensive industry is to deliver climate protection, energy sovereignty and industrial growth at the same time.’ There will be no cost-efficient sustainable energy system in Europe without offshore wind energy.

Recommended links: 

1. The Draghi report: In-depth analysis and recommendations (Part B)
2. No Net Zero Industry Act without offshore wind foundations
3. Offshore wind foundations
4. Commission Recommendation (EU) 2021/2279 of 15 December 2021 on the use of the Environmental Footprint methods to measure and communicate the life cycle environmental performance of products and organisations
5. Standardising offshore wind carbon footprinting - 2025 The Carbon Trust

About the author 

Heike Winkler works as a management consultant under the label Offshore Wind Communication and has about 16 years of professional experience in the offshore wind industry. She is the first chairwoman and co-founder of the non-profit organisation mEErFrauen e.V. From 2019 to the end of 2023, she was managing director of an innovation cluster and association for the wind industry and ‘green’ hydrogen.

Prior to this, she worked as a freelance public affairs and PR consultant for a wind turbine manufacturer, wind farm operator and O&M companies, as well as a freelance journalist in the offshore wind industry from 2015 to 2019. From 2008 to 2015, Heike Winkler was head of corporate communications at the offshore wind turbine manufacturer Adwen (formerly AREVA Wind, Multibrid).

Heike Winkler has a master's degree in economic and social psychology and political science.

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