The Scottish Onshore Wind Developers Forum (SOWDF) has called on the Scottish Government to set a target of at least 30 GW of installed onshore wind capacity by 2040. The forum argues that a clear long-term target is needed to keep future energy costs low for UK consumers and support economic growth in Scotland.
In a recent letter to Scottish Energy Minister Stephen Gethins MSP, SOWDF said that, while Scotland has set out a long-term vision for offshore wind up to 2040, there is no equivalent target for onshore wind. This could create uncertainty for investment, supply chain development and future energy planning.
According to SOWDF, a target of at least 30 GW by 2040 would provide developers, investors and communities with greater certainty to develop new projects and repower existing sites. It would also support Scotland's position as a renewable energy hub and contribute to the UK Government's Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP), which will determine the country's energy production requirements after 2030.
SOWDF members have a combined pipeline of more than 6 GW of Scottish onshore wind projects in development, which could contribute to the proposed 2040 target.
The call is supported by newly published research from BiGGAR Economics examining the potential economic benefits of developing Scotland's onshore wind pipeline after 2030. The research estimates that this could:
- Add £4.2 billion in gross value added (GVA) to the Scottish economy by 2040.
- Support an average of 6,100 additional jobs across Scotland between 2034 and 2040, covering project development, construction and operation.
- Generate an additional £44 million annually in community benefit payments and £88 million in business rates by 2040.
- Deliver an additional £7.1 billion in GVA across the wider UK by 2040 and increase UK-wide employment supported by Scotland's onshore wind sector by 120%.
