On 16 September 2026, WindEurope announced that Rasmus Errboe, President and CEO of Ørsted, has officially taken office as Chair of the association for an 18-month term. He succeeds Henrik Andersen, CEO of Vestas, who served as WindEurope Chair for the past 18 months, while Errboe held the position of Vice Chair during the same period.
This is far from a routine personnel reshuffle. Errboe takes over at a critical juncture: Europe is on track to hit a historic record of 24 GW in wind installations this year, and the industry stands at a crossroads shifting from policy ambition to on-the-ground delivery.
Founded in 1982, WindEurope is the world’s largest and most influential wind industry association. It currently represents over 600 member companies across more than 35 countries, covering the full wind energy value chain – from developers, turbine OEMs and component suppliers to logistics firms, financial institutions, research bodies and national industry associations.
As the key bridge between the industry and EU policymakers, WindEurope’s influence directly shapes the policy direction and investment environment for wind energy in Europe.
Upon taking office, Errboe laid out a clear action agenda focused on four core priorities:
First, accelerating project delivery. Europe is not short of wind energy targets – what is lacking is the speed of turning those targets into installed capacity. Errboe called for more flexible permitting and auction mechanisms to move more projects from blueprints to construction.
Second, strengthening the supply chain. Europe’s domestic supply chain has weathered quality crises and capacity constraints over recent years. Errboe emphasised the need to build a more resilient supply chain system to support sustained expansion of installed capacity.
Third, speeding up electrification. The value of wind energy lies not just in power generation, but more broadly in the electrification process that replaces fossil fuels. Errboe urged placing electrification at the core of Europe’s energy transition.
Fourth, scaling up grid infrastructure. This remains one of the biggest bottlenecks for European wind energy: installations are growing, but grid connections are failing to keep pace. Advancing grid expansion will be a key focus of Errboe’s tenure.
In addition, he committed to driving the entire industry to speak with one voice, coordinating across the value chain to remove barriers to growth and unlock large-scale long-term investment. Citing Ørsted analysis, Errboe noted that a wind-powered renewable energy system could reduce overall European power system costs by up to 30% by 2040.
