RenewableUK warns onshore wind approvals must double to reach climate goals
Latest figures from trade body reveal healthy pipeline of projects but warns slow approvals process is impeding sector’s growth
The rate of consenting for new onshore wind farm projects is less than half what it should be to reach the UK’s climate targets, trade body RenewableUK has warned.
Figures published by the group late last week reveal that roughly 600MW a year of onshore wind projects are being given the go ahead annually in the UK, which marks an uptick on recent years but is still roughly half the 1,250MW needed to meet the 35GW by 2035 target recommended by government climate advisers, the Climate Change Committee (CCC).
The pipeline of onshore wind projects in the UK has grown in the wake of the government’s decision to end the controversial ban that stopped onshore renewables projects from bidding for government backed clean power contracts. The Onshore Wind Project Intelligence report notes that the capacity of onshore wind projects operating, under construction, consented or being planned has grown to nearly 33GW, up from 30GW a year ago.
If every project in the pipeline were given the green light, the UK would double its operational onshore wind capacity by the end of the decade, growing from 13.9GW today to 30GW by 2030, it calculates.
As such RenewableUK CEO Dan McGrail urged the government to overhaul the clean energy planning system to ramp up levels of onshore wind deployment, pointing out that the Net Zero Strategy published this week called for more onshore wind to be installed in the 2020s.
“We need planning systems in place in all four UK nations which reflect the consistently high level of public support for this technology and allow projects to go ahead where they have a majority of local support,” he said. “This must include encouraging the repowering of older onshore wind projects as they reach the end of their lifespan with taller, even more efficient turbines.”
The upcoming Contacts for Difference (CfD) auction will see onshore wind projects compete for contracts for the first time in five years. McGrail called on the government increase the frequency of clean energy auctions from next year to deliver a further boost to UK renewables capacity.
“To maximise job creation and investment, we need to move from holding auctions every two years to annual auctions, framed by a government target to 30GW of onshore wind by 2030,” he said. “Doing this would show great leadership in tackling climate change at a time when the UK has an unprecedented international platform at COP26”.
Previous analysis from the trade group has estimated that a doubling of onshore wind capacity would reduce consumer bills by £16.3bn over the course of the decade, which would shave roughly £25 off each annual household energy bill.
