Key facts
- Applications for new onshore windfarms in England reached a 10-year high in the year to March, with about 45 submissions.
- Onshore wind power capacity entering the planning system has more than tripled since the de facto ban was lifted.
- The average proposed onshore windfarm in England since the ban was lifted has two turbines and 8MW of capacity.
- Scotland has seen significantly larger onshore windfarm proposals, averaging nine turbines and 59MW of capacity.
- The UK's onshore wind supply chain could add up to £56bn to the economy by 2050.
Applications for new onshore windfarms in England have reached their highest annual level in a decade, following the government's decision to lift a de facto ban that had been in place since 2015. According to an analysis of government data by The Guardian, approximately 45 applications were submitted in the year to March.
Since the lifting of restrictions by the Labour government, the amount of onshore wind power capacity entering the planning system has more than tripled. Before the party's election victory, an average of about 9 megawatts of onshore wind capacity was submitted monthly in England. By the beginning of 2024, this rate had increased to approximately 36MW per month, indicating a return of renewable energy developers to the English market.
The resurgence in onshore wind development is particularly notable when compared to the period before September 2023, when Conservative ministers began easing regulatory hurdles. At that time, monthly onshore wind applications averaged only about 1MW. The Guardian previously reported that Ukraine was completing more onshore windfarms than England during its occupation by Russian forces.
A government spokesperson stated that the de facto ban had hindered onshore wind's potential for energy security, economic growth, and bill reduction. The government has since lifted the ban, supported the largest onshore windfarm in England in a decade through a flagship renewables auction, and simplified planning permission for small turbines on farms and factories.
The Imerys project near St Austell, Cornwall, a 20MW development, is the largest onshore windfarm in England to receive government subsidy since the ban was lifted. However, this project is considerably smaller than many windfarms in Scotland. Since the ban's removal, the average proposed onshore windfarm in England consists of two turbines, offering 8MW of capacity. In contrast, Scottish windfarms proposed in the same period averaged nine turbines with 59MW of capacity.
Since the ban was lifted, England has seen proposals totaling 438MW of onshore wind capacity. This figure is significantly lower than the 490MW proposed in Wales and the 5,280MW proposed in Scotland during the same timeframe. Only one windfarm in England with a capacity exceeding 100MW has been proposed since the ban was lifted, while Scotland has seen 18 such proposals.
Tara Singh, CEO of RenewableUK, welcomed the return of onshore wind to England, highlighting it as one of the UK's cheapest sources of new electricity, costing about half as much as new gas-fired generation. She emphasized that new projects can be built quickly, enhancing energy security and reducing reliance on volatile global gas prices. Singh also noted that onshore wind can contribute to economic growth through investment and job creation, with community benefit funds providing local investment opportunities. RenewableUK data suggests the UK's onshore wind supply chain could contribute up to £56bn to the economy by 2050.