The total operational capacity of combined onshore and offshore wind in the UK has now exceeded 30GW.
Solar Media Market Research database figures put the installed capacity at 30.2GW, while RenewableUK has slightly higher numbers, at 30.299GW.
According to RenewableUK, SSE Renewables’ Viking Wind Farm on the Shetland Islands pushed the UK’s operational capacity over the 30GW threshold, bringing 443MW online after having been in development for about 15 years.
A 220MW share of the project was awarded in the fourth auction round (AR4) of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, the remaining 243MW receiving a contract in the fifth auction round.
According to Stephen Wheeler, managing director of SSE Renewables, the Viking Wind Farm is the largest onshore wind power plant to be built in the UK in nearly 10 years. He further stated that SSE Renewables’ onshore and offshore wind portfolio now accounts for over 10% of the 30GW operational total.
In a recent article for Current±, Solar Media market analyst Josh Cornes explained that the pipeline of onshore wind projects specifically in England has been at a very low level, with just 150 MW approved, and even less having been submitted (and awaiting a planning decision).
This was unsurprising, given the likelihood of rejection under the previous planning guidelines issued by the Conservative Party. However, ahead of the anticipated Labour government entering power, the cumulative capacity in planning rose at levels “not seen before”.
Indeed, Cornes wrote that as much as 0.8-1GW of new wind farm capacity could be added this year, the highest annual deployment since 2017.
RenewableUK’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 £45 billion and create 27,000 jobs, whilst moving to an electricity system dominated by offshore wind by 2035 would leave consumers around £68 a year better off.”
The UK’s first commercial onshore wind farm became operational in 1991. The Delabole wind development in Cornwall was developed by Windelectric Management and is now owned and operated by renewable electricity supplier Good Energy.
Labour’s commitment to wind generation
According to the most recent government statistics, published in July in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES), the share of generation from low carbon sources rose to a record 60.3% in 2023.
Renewable technologies provided 46.4% of the UK’s electricity last year. Wind generated 28.1% of electricity in 2023 (82.3TWh), with 17% from offshore wind and 11.2% provided by onshore wind.
The Labour government’s flagship Great British Energy company was formally launched at the end of July, along with the announcement that it would partner with the Crown Estate, which owns much of the land around the UK’s coastline.
This highly suggests that, at least initially, the publicly-owned energy company’s focus will be on wind generation. Contrary to previous statements made by the now-Prime Minister, GB Energy is “not simply an investment vehicle” and will take stakes in the projects it owns, manages and operates.
The government was also applauded for the increased CfD budget for auction round six (AR6), up by over £500 million to reach a total budget of £1.5 billion.
Still, recent modelling by ICIS analytics suggested that the government’s budget for offshore wind is still too low to meet its 2030 target to quadruple capacity. The analytics firm indicated that if the auction cleared at a base case scenario strike price of £60/MWh, a total of £3.2 billion would be needed to reach government targets.
The Labour party’s manifesto promises 55GW by 2030; ICIS calculations showed current budgets could finance 5.8GW of capacity.
