New research published today by RenewableUK shows that the total capacity of the pipeline of onshore wind projects which are operating, under construction, consented or being planned in the UK has grown to nearly 33GW.
A year ago, the total pipeline stood at 30GW. If every project in the current pipeline were to go ahead, the UK would reach 30GW by 2030, more than double the UK’s current operational capacity of 13.9GW. Earlier this month RenewableUK published an Onshore Wind Prospectus which shows that doubling the UK’s onshore wind capacity would reduce consumer bills by £16.3 billion over the course of this decade - an annual saving for £25 for every household. It would also generate £45 billion of economic activity and create 27,000 full-time jobs. 70% of people think the local planning system should encourage the building of onshore wind projects. However, the Prospectus also shows that the UK is currently consenting less than half the annual capacity needed to reach the target set by the Climate Change Committee of 35GW by 2035. Just over 600MW a year is being given the go-ahead, when we should be reaching 1,250MW a year to stay on course.
