PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE GREEN JOBS FOR THE EU ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE PACKAGE

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1 European Economic and Social Committee PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE GREEN JOBS FOR THE EU ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE PACKAGE GREEN JOBS Jose Donoso President AEE Asociación Empresarial Eólica Brussels, 1

2 Wind industry in Spain: a safe bet 2

Spanish wind energy sector: stable and constant growth within the Renewable Energy Plan 2005-2010 Cumulative capacity in Spain 1998-2009 This great

3 Spanish wind energy sector: stable and constant growth within the Renewable Energy Plan Cumulative capacity in Spain This great performance has happened along important job creation and a very significant contribution to achieving the objectives of energy and environmental policies 3

Wind Energy has consolidated as the third technology of the power system in Spain Wind energy reached in 2009 an output of 36.

4 Wind Energy has consolidated as the third technology of the power system in Spain Wind energy reached in 2009 an output of GWh, only overtaken by thermal gas combined cycle and nuclear In 2009, wind energy has covered 14.3% of the demand compared to 11.5% in 2008 Demand coverage for 2009 (Source: REE) 4

5 The benefits of wind energy in Spain: macroeconomic, environmental and social returns 5

6 Green jobs in Spain 6

7 Green jobs in Spain The Spanish wind industry employed 41,500 people at the end of 2008 But the wind industry, and green jobs therefore, heavily depend on regulation. National and regional legislation provide an essential support for this sector The financial crisis and the introduction of the new Royal Decree Law 6/2009, which introduced regulatory instability, have meant a slowdown of the performance of the wind sector in 2009 As a result, AEE estimates that 15,000 jobs were lost in And 18,000 could be lost in 2010 if a clear and stable new regulatory framework is not established 7

8 Green jobs, good jobs Employment in the renewable energy sector shows more stability than in the rest of industries Permanent contracts amount to 82%. Temporary contracts account for 15% of total whereas for the rest of sectors combined they rise up to 30% Renewable energy enterprises employ a highly qualified labour force In Spain, half of the labour force are technical engineers, either with high university degrees (32%) or technicians (18%) The sector of renewable energy in Spain has a great potential for employment creation in the coming years 8

9 Green jobs: a political choice Energy markets are always the result of political choices 9

10 Europe will continue to lead in green job creation According to the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), EU employment in wind energy will more than double from 154,000 in 2007 to almost 330,000 in 2020 Key objectives: Ensure a quick and efficient implementation of the EU s Renewables Directive to increase the number of clean technology job Encourage public authorities and private companies to make joint efforts to provide training to allow workers to transfer from declining economic sectors to the wind power sector Encourage better communication on the possibility of wind energy as a career path at secondary school and university level 10

11 Wind energy: an answer to the strategic and environmental challenges The current economic crisis is seasonal. The structural crisis has two main themes: Energy Spain has an 82% external energy dependence. The European Union average is 50% In coming years energy demand and price volatility will rise as emerging countries consumption grows Environmental Energy is the key factor of climate change. Spain has to limit its CO2 emissions to +15% with reference to In 2008 emissions rose 42.7% 11

12 Wind energy: an answer to the strategic and environmental challenges In this context, wind energy is a guarantee of supply, competitiveness and economic, political and energy independence: it is an autonomous, emission-free source and the reference renewable technology 12

13 Economic certainty: fossil fuel high volatility Fossil fuel prices are forecasted to strongly increase in the 2030 horizon, due to reserve exhaustion and a 40% increase in global energy demand (IEA) 13

14 When the economic crisis finishes, wind power will be a competitiveness factor The economic downturn interrupted the rise in energy prices, but the rise is actually resuming and the upward trend will be increased, due to the demand increase that will undergo emerging countries like China, India or Brazil Energy demand per capita (toe) USA European Union China India 7,5 3,5 0,8 0,4 7,6 3,5 1,5 0,5 Wind energy will play a key role as a guarantee of supply, contributing to increase energy, economic and political independence and to create new jobs Fight against climate change will require a decarbonization of the energy system. To achieve it, energy efficiency and renewables will be essential, particularly wind energy 14

15 Conclusions 15

16 Conclusions There is a significant ray of hope amid the current economic gloom: it goes by the name of green jobs The important role of wind energy is a very clear example: to the environmental benefits and reduction of energy dependence, we can add the creation of an important technological and industrial base with significant job creation This has been possible due to the existence of a vigorous policy that encouraged this development and added value to the economy 16

17 Conclusions Decision-making must take into account medium and long term, not only the short term Decisions made today about green jobs will have profound consequences for our economy, environment, and social structure for decades to come We need to maintain the European leadership in wind energy The nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy Barack Obama State of the Union address, January 27,

18 Thank you for your attention 18 18

NAVARRE: RENEWABLE ENERGIES

NAVARRE: RENEWABLE ENERGIES Pamplona, 21 April 2009 Navarre is a small region of Spain with a population of 620,000 in an area the tenth of the state of Pennsylvania. It is well-known throughout the world