The fourth round of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme in the UK has secured almost 11GW across a range of clean technologies, including offshore wind, solar, onshore wind, floating offshore wind and tidal stream.
The greatest capacity – almost 7GW - has been secured from new offshore wind projects around the coastline of Great Britain. Onshore wind and solar energy were both included in a CfD auction for the first time since 2015. Onshore wind secured almost 0.9GW of new capacity, clearing at a per unit price that was more than 45% lower than in the first CfD round in 2015, while solar secured more than 2.2GW. The fourth round also saw developing technologies tidal stream and floating offshore wind projects successful for the first time. Tidal stream returned a capacity of 41MW and floating offshore wind returned 32MW. Overall, 93 projects with existing planning permission across England, Scotland and Wales have won contracts through the competitive auction process.
