Gunnar Groebler, Senior Vice President, Business Area Wind at Vattenfall, has been named chairman of WindEurope’s board of directors.
Groebler will replace RES CEO Ivor Catto and will serve an 18-month term. Nordex’s Tony Adams becomes the association’s new vice chair.
Groebler, a mechanical engineer by background who has been with the Swedish utility since 1999, said: “We’re at an exciting time for wind energy. The technology continues to evolve and with it costs are coming down. Wind is an increasingly affordable source of power for people and businesses.”
"The next challenge that we face as an industry is to continue ramping up scale as Europe phases out fossil fuels and electrifies its economy. Wind energy is ideally poised to become Europe’s future electricity producer of choice," he added.
As Senior Vice President, Business Area Wind, Groebler heads up Vattenfall’s wind and solar energy as well as battery operations. Groebler succeeds Ivor Catto, CEO of RES, as WindEurope Chair. Tony Adam from Nordex will become the association’s new Vice Chair.
WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson said: “We’re delighted to have Gunnar Groebler as our new Chair. Having one of the world’s biggest renewable energy companies at the helm of WindEurope, with its expertise in wind will certainly be a great asset to us. I’d also like to thank Ivor Catto for his fine work over the last 18 months."
He added: "He has been instrumental in driving forward WindEurope’s efforts on making the economic case for wind energy in national capitals. I’d also like to think Juan Rivier Abbad from Iberdrola who has played an excellent supporting role to Ivor and the association as our Vice Chair”.