WindEurope has elected Ørsted CEO Rasmus Errboe as its new Chair and Enel Green Power CEO Salvatore Bernabei as Vice-Chair, with both beginning an 18-month tenure as Europe’s wind industry heads towards a record year for new installations.

Europe is on track to install 24 GW of new wind capacity in 2026, according to WindEurope. The figure would be enough to power around 20 million European households.

However, the association warned that the sector’s current momentum cannot be taken for granted, pointing to persistent structural challenges including cumbersome permitting procedures, slow grid expansion and insufficient electrification, which it says are undermining investment in new wind projects.

WindEurope also highlighted poor auction design and uncertainty surrounding the EU’s 2040 renewables target as risks to Europe’s energy and security objectives.

Errboe said wind energy is key to addressing Europe’s challenges and called for faster electrification, expanded grids and conditions that support investment across the region.

“Europe has built a world-leading wind industry as part of the solution to these challenges. We now need to turn ambition into action,” he said.

Bernabei will also take over as Chair of the WindEurope Management Committee, while Alfredo Parres of Hitachi Energy will become Vice-Chair of the committee.

“I am honoured by the trust placed in me by WindEurope’s members, in a pivotal moment for Europe’s competitiveness, industrial resilience and energy security,” Bernabei said.

WindEurope said wind already provides 480,000 jobs across Europe and remains one of the few clean technologies in which the region has a presence across the entire value chain, from research and manufacturing to onshore and offshore wind.

The association also said a renewables-based power system could save Europe up to €1.6 trillion by 2050, including the additional costs associated with grids, storage and system integration.

The new leadership succeeds outgoing Chair Henrik Andersen, CEO of Vestas, whom WindEurope thanked for his leadership and commitment during his tenure.