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HOW WIND CAN BECOME THE DRIVING FORCE OF A NEW INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION IN THE EU

On 26 February 2025, the European Commission unveiled a groundbreaking and long-awaited policy document - the Clean Industrial Deal - a visionary strategy aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of Europe’s economy. With a clear focus on electrification, the Deal prioritizes the expansion of ‘green’ industrial capacity as a means of future-proofing European industries.

Faced with global energy price volatility and intensifying international competition, European industry has recognized the urgent need for support. The Clean Industrial Deal introduces concrete measures to turn decarbonization policies into a catalyst for industrial growth and economic resilience. These measures include lowering energy costs, creating high-quality jobs, and fostering a business-friendly environment.

At its core, the Deal is designed to strengthen every stage of the industrial value chain, with a particular emphasis on:

• Energy-intensive sectors such as steel, metals, and chemical manufacturing,
• Clean energy technology industries, which hold significant competitive potential and are essential for industrial transformation and decarbonization, and
• Circular economy development, aimed at reducing industrial waste and extending material life cycles by promoting best practices in recycling, reuse, and sustainable production.

Key Pillars of the Clean Industrial Deal

• Ensuring energy availability – Accelerating the deployment of clean energy solutions and electrification, finalizing the integration of the EU’s internal energy market through cross-border interconnections, improving energy efficiency, and reducing reliance on fossil fuel imports. This effort is complemented by a dedicated Action Plan for Affordable Energy.
• Stimulating demand for clean products – Introducing and enforcing sustainability and resilience criteria in production while promoting the “Made in Europe” label in both public and private procurement. In support of this goal, the European Commission plans to revise EU Public Procurement Framework Rules by 2026.
• Financing the clean transition – Implementing new policies for state aid and subsidies to support renewable energy deployment, industrial decarbonization, and next-generation manufacturing capacity. The strategy also includes strengthening the Innovation Fund, establishing an Industrial Decarbonization Bank, and mobilizing resources through programs such as InvestEU and Horizon Europe, aiming to unlock over EUR 100 billion for clean industrial investments.
• Securing access to and ensuring sustainable use of critical resources – Establishing a joint procurement mechanism for key raw materials, launching an EU Critical Raw Materials Hub to coordinate collective purchasing, and introducing a Circular Economy Act in 2026, which mandates that by 2030, at least 24% of industrial materials used in the EU must come from circular sources.

Wind Energy: The Backbone of the Clean Industrial Deal

Wind energy is Europe’s own, competitive, and scalable resource, uniquely positioned to support every aspect of the Clean Industrial Deal while meeting the continent’s rising electricity demand. According to WindEurope, by 2040 industrial electricity consumption is projected to surge: in the chemical sector from 195 TWh (2030) to 290 TWh (2040), in cement production from 32 TWh to 76 TWh, and in the aluminum industry from 70 TWh to 100 TWh. With its scalability and high capacity factor, wind energy is exceptionally well-suited to meet these demands. In fact, 1 GW of wind energy produces twice as much electricity as an equivalent solar installation. “If the EU maintains a steady annual deployment of 30 GW of wind capacity throughout the 2030s (with 20 GW from onshore and 10 GW from offshore sources), wind power generation is expected to quadruple, reaching 1,830 TWh by 2040,” WindEurope stated.

A Global Partnership

To implement the Clean Industrial Deal successfully, the EU needs reliable global partners. Beyond expanding trade agreements, the European Commission is set to launch Clean Trade and Investment Partnerships to diversify supply chains, enhance economic security through trade defense mechanisms, and strengthen the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to ensure fair CO₂ pricing in energy-intensive industries.

What This Means for Ukraine?

For Ukraine, the Clean Industrial Deal represents an opportunity to integrate into a new, more secure, and predictable EU economic model. With its abundant resources, strategic location, and industrial potential, Ukraine has a unique chance to become a key partner in supplying Europe with critical raw materials, ‘green’ energy, and clean technologies. However, to seize this opportunity, Ukraine must accelerate its own industrial decarbonization, expand renewable energy capacity, develop modern recycling infrastructure, and foster domestic ‘green’ technology manufacturing, particularly wind turbine production. Moreover, strengthening collaboration with the EU on critical raw materials will be essential in securing Ukraine’s place in the next phase of Europe’s industrial transformation.

The Clean Industrial Deal: https://commission.europa.eu/topics/eu-competitiveness/clean-industrial-deal_en