WindEurope, a European wind trade association, has advised an investment of $8bn in its port infrastructure of Europe as ports will play a central role in realizing the energy goals of the European Union, according to FleetMon.

It stated: “In line with realizing the goal of climate neutrality, the EU is looking to develop offshore wind farms. Plans are being prepared for a 25-fold increase in the power generated by offshore winds, projecting 110 GW by 2030 and 400 GW by 2050 from a current 25GW production.

“Giles Dickson, WindEurope’s CEO states that ports are imperative for the development of offshore wind farms, from its installation to its maintenance and that the developments of ports and wind farms have to be concurrent. As the supply chain will have to be established for the turbines, equipment, and personnel for the farms’ operation and maintenance.

“The wind trade association is imploring the EU to invest $8 bn in the development of port infrastructure to support the expansion of offshore wind energy farms till 2030. WindEurope also goes on to claim that the investment will be recovered in only 5 years due to the increasing dependence on renewable energy sources. The request also extends to put in place a financing mechanism required to support the investments.

“WindEurope’s stand is further cemented by the fact that offshore wind energy is not the only renewable source that is dependent on the development of ports. WindEurope states that the deep berths and the heavy-loading quaysides will be crucial to the development of Hydrogen. Ports are an ideal location for electrolyzers. The hydrogen produced can be stored and used for heavy-duty transport, by the local industrial ecosystem or converted to ammonia for shipping.”

It added: “Wind Europe also states that the ports will act as a hub for an array of renewable energy sources to usher in sustainable energy generation. Excess energy can be channeled to consumers and society as a whole. A significant step forward in addressing climate change.”