The UK has today hit a historic milestone of 30GW of wind generation capacity as the opening of SSE Renewables’ Viking Wind Farm on the Shetland Islands boosted the country’s capacity by 443MW.
Total operational capacity of combined onshore and offshore wind in the UK now stands at 30,299MW, as tracked by RenewableUK’s EnergyPulse, the industry’s market intelligence service.
This is enough to meet the annual power needs of more than 26 million homes and cut carbon emissions by more than 35 million tonnes a year.
Renewables provided a record 46.4% of the UK’s electricity in 2023, according to the latest statistics published by the government in July, with wind remaining the biggest source of clean power.
Combined onshore and offshore wind generated a record 28.1% of UK total power last year, while accounting for more than 60% generated from renewable sources.
The UK’s first commercial onshore wind farm, Delabole (pictured) in Cornwall, went operational in 1991 and the first offshore wind project off the coast of Blyth in the north east of England began generating in 2000.
Initially, wind deployment climbed slowly to 1GW in 2005 and grew to 5GW in 2010, before expanding rapidly to 10GW in 2013 and 15GW in early 2017.
Capacity has subsequently doubled in just seven years to reach the 30GW milestone.
Viking Wind Farm has been in development for around 15 years at a cost of approximately £1.2bn in private investment, and will provide energy for households roughly equivalent to a city the size of Birmingham.
Consisting of 103 turbines, it will harness Shetland’s exceptionally strong wind resource and will deliver renewable energy to the mainland grid via a 260km HVDC subsea cable.
Thanks to the unique wind conditions in Shetland, Viking will be the UK’s most productive onshore wind farm in terms of annual electricity output and will be capable of generating around 1.8 terawatt hours (TWh) of renewable electricity annually, said RenewableUK.
The trade body’s executive director of policy & engagement Ana Musat said: “It took 26 years to install the first 15GW of wind energy in the UK, so to double that to 30GW in just seven years represents a tremendous success for the industry.
“As the latest record-breaking figures from the government show, wind is the backbone of our future energy system and a key driver of our transition away from expensive and volatile fossil fuels to become a clean energy superpower.
“Our research also shows doubling the UK’s onshore wind capacity by the end of the decade would boost the economy by £45bn and create 27,000 jobs, while moving to an electricity system dominated by offshore wind by 2035 would leave consumers around £68 a year better off.”
Scottish Renewables onshore director Morag Watson added: “As wind power continues to shape our future energy system, reaching 30GW of onshore and offshore wind capacity is a significant achievement for the UK.
“Wind power is one of Scotland’s greatest environmental and economic success stories, from the first-ever wind turbine built in Aberdeenshire in 1887 to an industry which now delivers 27,000 jobs and more than £7bn to our economy while helping combat climate change.
“With 48% of the UK’s operational capacity here in Scotland it is quite fitting that it is the Viking wind farm, a Scottish project, that takes us past the 30GW milestone.
“It is clear to see that Scotland’s wind power industry continues to be at the forefront of the UK’s clean energy future and will continue to play a central role as we look to achieve net-zero.”
SSE Renewables managing director Stephen Wheeler added: “We are thrilled the delivery of our Viking Wind Farm takes the UK’s wind power capacity past the 30GW mark.
“As the largest onshore wind farm to be built in the UK in nearly 10 years, the completion of the project is a big moment in its own right – and contributing to this milestone for the industry makes it even more special.
“Viking will now play a major role in the UK’s net zero transition, harnessing Shetland’s unparalleled wind resource to become the country’s most productive onshore wind farm.
“Reaching 30GW is a great achievement, and SSE Renewables is proud to account for over 10% of that total across our onshore and offshore wind portfolio.
“It is clear, however, that we need to go faster if we are to have a chance of delivering a zero-carbon energy system by the end of this decade, and we stand ready to play our part in hitting many more milestones in years to come.”