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The UK government has set out how it plans to double the amount of energy produced from on-shore wind farms.
Having announced the reversal of a “de-facto nine-year ban” on wind development in England, the Department of Energy Security Net Zero (DESNZ) has set out how it aims to produce 27-29GW of onshore wind by 2030.
In particular, the onshore wind strategy published Friday will unlock up to 10GW of onshore wind by “resolving issues with how onshore wind turbines and aerospace civil and defence infrastructure co-exist”.
Read: Onshore wind strategy
It will also seek to repower of old turbines across the country as well as tackling the planning system in England so that “planning decisions are based on up-to-date information and ensuring site surveying and assessments for projects are more efficient to speed up decision-making”.
The clean industry bonus, which has previously been aimed at delivering more expensive and complex offshore wind projects, will also be made available to onshore wind developers.
The government has further estimated onshore wind development will bring £70 million in community payments and double the amount of jobs in the sector to 45,000.
The strategy is backed by the onshore wind taskforce, or council, which includes industry representatives French energy giant EDF, Japanese multinational Hitachi, German energy firm RWE and Sweden’s Vattenfall.
The government also confirmed it has completed a marine spatial prioritisation programme to “de-risk” offshore wind developments in the English sea.
This will help guide the Crown Estate’s marine delivery routemap on strategic use of the seabed to unlock offshore wind in a way that considers all marine sectors including fisheries and protects the marine environment.
‘No-brainer’
Energy Minister Michael Shanks said: “Rolling out more onshore wind is a no-brainer – it’s one of our cheapest technologies, quick to build, supports thousands of skilled jobs and can provide clean energy directly to the communities hosting it.
“After years of decline, we’re giving industry the tools to get building again, backing industrial renewal and secure, clean, homegrown energy through our plan for change.”
