I am tabling this statement to inform members of the publication of the onshore wind taskforce strategy and updated community benefits guidance for onshore wind in England.
The Government are committed to delivering a clean, affordable and secure energy system by 2030, and accelerating progress towards net zero. Onshore wind is one of the cheapest electricity generation technologies and will play a crucial role in delivering our decarbonisation goals. Having more low-cost renewables like onshore wind reduces the UK’s exposure to volatile global fossil fuel prices, which protects consumer energy bills against future price shocks. Onshore wind is therefore vital to boost Britain’s energy independence, protect bill payers, support high-skilled jobs and tackle the climate crisis.
Making Britain a clean energy superpower is one of the Government’s five missions. The clean power action plan, published in December 2024, set a target for 27 to 29 GW of onshore wind by 2030. Today’s publications are a significant step forward in delivering the 2030 mission. This mission is about driving economic growth as well as clean power, and industries such as onshore wind present a significant economic opportunity. For example, by 2030 up to 45,000 UK jobs could be supported by the onshore wind sector.
Onshore wind taskforce strategy
The strategy is the main output of a joint Government and industry taskforce established to identify and agree essential actions to mitigate barriers to deployment across the UK and capitalise on the economic benefits. The taskforce was set up following the removal of the de facto ban on onshore wind in England in July 2024 to streamline and maximise the deployment of onshore wind.
This is the Government’s first ever dedicated strategy for onshore wind, committing to 42 actions across planning, grid, workforce, financing and aviation. This will ensure we quickly unlock onshore wind deployment, deliver on the economic benefits, and make progress towards our clean power mission. Highlights of the onshore wind strategy include:
New actions to ensure the planning system is ready for the first English projects to come through the pipeline since the removal of the de facto ban, which severely limited deployment.
Ambitious actions to address interference issues between onshore wind turbines and civil and military aviation systems, to help get onshore wind projects moving.
A range of new commitments, alongside industry, to build the evidence base to support future onshore wind supply chain and skills interventions.
Today we are also announcing the establishment of an onshore wind council to ensure we deliver on the critical actions in today’s publications and continue the excellent collaboration with industry.
Guidance on community benefits for onshore wind in England
Government want to ensure that communities directly benefit from our 2030 goals, and today we have published updated voluntary guidance on community benefits for onshore wind in England, ensuring developments have a lasting positive impact on communities. The guidance includes:
Best practice models for benefits schemes such as community benefit funds, local electricity bill discounts and shared ownership.
Support available to communities when co-designing and administering funds, summarising best practice engagement principles.
A resource kit for communities with detailed case studies and example documentation.
The guidance sets expectations that developers pay community benefits of £5,000 per megawatt of installed capacity per year for the operational lifetime of the project. This would mean a 25 MW wind farm would deliver £3.75 million of funding for communities on local initiatives across a 30-year operating life. If we deliver 29 GW of onshore wind by 2030, we could unlock around £70 million of additional private investment in our rural towns and villages every year.
Scaling up onshore wind generation will be critical to the success of the Government’s clean energy mission. Today’s publications will give a boost to the onshore wind industry and local communities, reduce our dependence on volatile fossil fuels, and improve our energy security.
[HCWS778]