A new report released today by RenewableUK shows the UK’s pipeline of onshore wind projects at all stages of development (operational, under construction, consented, in planning and pre-planning) has grown by more than 4GW in last 12 months – twice as much growth as same period last year.
The 4.2GW rise since last September pushes the country’s total from 38.5GW to 42.7GW.
This is a considerable increase compared to the previous 12-month period, said the industry body, when the pipeline grew by 1.5GW. 4.2GW of onshore wind capacity is enough to power almost three million homes a year.
RenewableUK’s latest EnergyPulse Onshore Wind Report shows the UK now has 15.5GW of onshore wind capacity in operation – enough to power 10.9m homes. This includes 594MW of capacity which has gone operational so far in 2024.
The study found 75% of the UK’s total onshore wind pipeline is in Scotland, where operational capacity has reached 10GW with over 630MW added in the past year.
The report forecasts that if all projects in the pipeline are built within the currently expected timeframes, up to 27.8GW of capacity could be operational by 2030, including repowering older projects with new turbines.
RenewableUK’s head of oolicy James Robottom said: “As this report shows, the UK has a healthy pipeline of onshore wind projects which will enable us to boost Britain’s energy security and cut consumer bills by using one of our cheapest sources of new power.
“But to do this we will have to deliver new projects faster.
“We stand ready to do this, as this year has proved to be a turning point for this industry. In March we reached a key milestone with 15GW of onshore wind capacity in operation, enabling us to hit 30GW of onshore and offshore wind combined last week, as SSE’s impressive Viking onshore wind farm went fully operational.
“One of the new government’s first actions when it came to power in July was to lift the de facto ban on onshore wind projects in England after nearly a decade, as well as setting up the Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce to speed up the delivery of vital new clean energy capacity in all four UK nations.
“We need companies of every size to seize this opportunity and invest in developing an industry which is playing a key role in tackling climate change as well as helping billpayers hit by massive increases in the cost of fossil fuels.
“This is very much a collaborative endeavour. We will continue to build onshore wind farms in an environmentally sensitive way which takes account of the views of local communities and sets out the economic benefits which we can offer them”.
The EnergyPulse report is being launched a day before the opening on the Onshore Wind 2024 Conference in Edinburgh, hosted jointly by RenewableUK and Scottish Renewables.
Head of onshore at Scottish Renewables Morag Watson said: “Home to 75% of the UK’s onshore wind pipeline, Scotland is at the forefront of the UK’s clean energy future.
“Onshore wind delivers more than 12,000 jobs and adds £3.44bn to the Scottish economy while helping combat climate change.
“In Scotland, the Onshore Wind Sector Deal has been a game-changer for the industry, and what we have learned so far can help identify current barriers to deployment across the UK while delivering maximum benefit to the country.
“The Onshore Wind Conference is the place to be for unparalleled industry insight and arrives at a pivotal moment as we are tasked with doubling onshore wind deployment across the UK by 2030.”