A record 16GW of new renewable energy capacity won planning approval in the UK during the second quarter of 2025, according to government figures.
The Financial Times first reported the surge, which covered 323 projects and marked a 195% increase compared with the same period last year.
The approvals come as the Labour government pushes to deliver on its manifesto pledge of 95% carbon-free electricity by 2030.
Consents included a mix of solar, wind and storage projects, with Scotland granting the green light for SSE’s 4.1GW Berwick Bank offshore wind farm.
The figures also revealed strong momentum in battery energy storage, with more than 100 planning applications between April and June covering a combined 8.4GW of capacity, over twice the total from the same quarter in 2024.
Over the 12 months to June, developers filed applications for 30GW of storage across 400 projects. The government estimates the UK will require around 23-27GW of storage by 2030, up from about 6GW today.