What has changed?

Under the previous government, there had been a ‘de facto’ ban on the construction of new onshore wind projects since 2015. However, with bold plans to decarbonise the UK electricity grid by 2030, the incoming Labour government rewrote those rules within its first week in power, opening the door to new onshore wind projects, new investment and new generating capacity.

“We are wasting no time in investing in the clean, homegrown energy that our country needs to lower bills and make Britain energy independent,” Ed Miliband MP, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero told the Guardian. “We welcome (the fact that) investors (are) responding to this announcement by moving forward with plans to invest in Britain’s clean energy future.”

How many onshore wind projects are there?

According to renewableuk.com, the UK currently has 9,231 onshore turbines, across 2,656 onshore wind projects, with the capacity to produce 15.815GW of power. By comparison, the UK’s offshore wind industry has the capacity to produce much more power from far fewer turbines, with just 2,824 turbines across 44 offshore wind projects, producing a similar amount of electricity at 15.613GW.

Together, the UK’s total wind power capacity is currently around 31.428GW, which is enough to power 26 million homes and reduce CO2 emissions by 37 million tonnes per year. However, to achieve the target of 100% clean energy by 2030, the generation capacity of offshore and onshore wind projects needs to increase significantly.

Building the future of onshore wind projects

The new onshore wind project at Calderdale Energy Park is typical of the new facilities needed to help the government to achieve their ambitious energy goals. The new project will feature 41 turbines, combined with a battery energy storage system, which will produce around 300MW of electricity and reduce CO2 emissions by 354,000 tonnes per year compared to carbon-based power stations.

The project has not been without controversy, given the sensitive nature of the environment in the area, which includes ancient peat bogs that currently store CO2. However, the site is so important to the country’s energy security that it has been designated as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). This means that the ultimate planning decision rests with the Secretary of State, who can overrule local objections in the national interest.

Elsewhere, the Guardian reports that ‘at least half a dozen renewables developers have begun identifying potential sites for full-scale windfarms in England.’

How BGB can help

BGB has unrivalled experience working with windfarms and their associated substations and infrastructure. We have been a key supplier to the offshore wind industry from the very beginning, and currently have a presence on all Ørsted offshore wind projects worldwide, and work on every single US windfarm.

The skills and experience we have learned working on offshore wind projects, often in the most testing of conditions out at sea, can easily be transferred to the more benign environments of onshore wind projects. This includes scaffolding and access solutions, rope access for blade inspections and complete QHSE services.

We also have extensive experience of working in sensitive natural environments, such as important marine ecosystems. This gives us vital perspective when it comes to working with onshore wind projects in Britain’s remote and rural landscapes.

To find out more about how BGB can help your onshore wind project to take advantage of the new planning environment, get in touch with our team today. Together, we can put the UK back on track to 100% clean energy by 2030.