GREENPEACE AND WIND INDUSTRY UNVEIL GLOBAL ENERGY BLUEPRINT

5 October 1999

BRUSSELS -- Wind energy can provide 10 per cent of the world's electricity requirements by 2020, create 1.7 million jobs and reduce global carbon dioxide emissions by more than 10 billion tonnes, according to the findings of a new international report commissioned by Greenpeace, the European Wind Energy Association and the Forum for Energy and Development.

The report, Wind Force 10: A Blueprint To Achieve 10% of the World's Electricity from Wind Power by 2020, was released today at the Financial Times World Renewable Energy Conference in Brussels, "the first major business summit on renewable energy".

The report demonstrates that a total of 1.2 million Megawatts (MW) of wind power can be installed worldwide by 2020, producing more than the total electricity consumption in Europe today (1). In Europe alone, one fifth of this total capacity would be installed, creating a quarter of a million jobs.

The 1.2 million MW represents one fifth of 1998 worldwide electricity consumption, highlighting the conservative approach taken in the report of a business-as-usual world that doubles electricity use by 2020.

"The signing of the Kyoto Protocol signalled to the energy industry the beginning of the phaseout of fossil fuels," said Greenpeace Renewable Energy Campaigner, Corin Millais. "Governments must now act to establish the regulatory framework and set legally binding targets for renewables. There's no excuse for inaction because wind power is an affordable, feasible, mainstream global energy force that is able to substitute for conventional fuels".

Last year, wind power was the fastest growing energy source in the world, with an average 40.2 per cent growth worldwide between 1994-1998 and 10,000 Megawatts of installed capacity in more than 50 countries led by Denmark, Germany, Spain. Despite supplying nearly 10 per cent of Denmark's electricity needs, wind power's contribution worldwide remains small at 0.15 per cent.

"In some countries wind energy growth rates exceed the expansion of the mobile phone market" said Klaus Rave, President of the EWEA. "With the political will to create the right regulatory framework the wind industry can become a mainstream power source creating investment, jobs and providing a cost effective solution to the climate change problem"

"Today we are already approaching 10 per cent of wind power in Denmark and the official target for wind in Denmark is 50 % per cent of the electricity consumption by 2030 including pioneering the development of offshore wind," Danish Forum for Energy and Development Chairman, Hans Bjerregard, said. "This report proves that we can replicate the success of the Danish model if governments will step up the promotion of renewable energies."

In order to achieve the 10% target, the report calls on Governments to establish firm targets, to remove inherent electricity sector barriers, halt fossil fuel and nuclear subsidies, and introduce a range of legally enforced mechanisms to promote wind energy.

The three organisations called on Ministers at next month's UN Climate Convention meeting in Bonn to ensure that the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), outlined in the Kyoto Protocol adopted in December 1997, promotes renewable energy technology transfer and excludes nuclear power or the misleading labelled "clean coal".

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

- Andrew Davis, Press Officer in Amsterdam, +31 20 5249545 (w), +31 653 504701 (m)
- Klaus Rave President EWEA: +49 431 900 3213 mobile + 49 171 355 0712

(1) 10% of the world's electricity from wind power in 2020 requires electricity production of 2,963.3 TWh per year, which is 25% more than the total EU consumption in 1996 (2,386 TWh)

This is equivalent to:

· one fifth of the world's entire electricity generation in 1996

· over five times Germany's entire electricity generation in 1996

· four fifths of the entire electricity generation in the USA in 1996

· the entire electricity generation of China, Asia and Latin America in 1996

2,963 TWh is more than all the electricity produced by the world's nuclear reactors in 1998 - 2,291 TWh (Source International Atomic Energy Agency Press Release 29th April 1999)