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45% renewables target ‘is ambitious but feasible’, says EU climate chief

(EurActiv, 16 Jan 2023) The European Commission defended its proposal to source 45% of the EU’s energy from renewable sources by 2030 as EU countries look to lower ambition, EU climate chief Frans Timmermans told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

EU countries and the European Parliament are currently in talks about a new law to boost green energy production, including a target setting out how much of Europe’s energy mix should come from renewables by 2030.

In December, EU countries supported a 40% renewable energy target as part of ongoing talks to revise the EU’s renewable energy directive, a goal lower than the 45% tabled by the EU’s executive Commission and supported by Parliament.

“I think we need to hold the line for 45%,” Timmermans told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) assembly in Abu Dhabi.

“If you see the pace with which our renewables are being built – offshore wind but especially also rooftop solar – I think the target is ambitious, but feasible,” he added.

When it first proposed updating the renewables directive in July 2021, the European Commission suggested a 40% target for 2030 but it upped this to 45% last year in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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EurActiv, 16 Jan 2023: 45% renewables target ‘is ambitious but feasible’, says EU climate chief