The Onshore Wind Industry Prospectus | RUK

Onshore wind is already a key part of the UK’s decarbonisation success story. Renewables have overtaken fossil fuels as the biggest source of UK power, and a quarter of that electricity comes from onshore wind. It has delivered thousands of jobs across the UK, not least in Scotland, where it remains the nation’s biggest employer in low carbon power generation.

The benefits of onshore wind are clear to us in industry and many in government – the low-cost power it can provide is vital to keep consumer bills down and support the competitiveness of UK industry in the net zero transition. To meet the challenge of net zero, we must scale-up the growth of renewables and the industry has set an ambition for 30GW of onshore wind by 2030.

This Prospectus sets our vision for onshore wind’s role in the energy transition and how we can work with Governments across the UK to deliver this. Working together to deliver 30GW of onshore wind by 2030 will: · Cut household bills by £25 a year · Boost a green recovery by adding £45bn to the UK economy · Create 27,000 high quality jobs that support a just transition · Deliver high levels of local content that support levelling-up every part of the UK · Permanently cut carbon emissions 6m tonnes a year The UK Government’s levellingup agenda and green recovery policies across the UK nations can drive a new wave of investment in infrastructure and skills, and the onshore wind sector is ready to play our part.

Currently, however, we are consenting less than half of the annual onshore wind capacity needed for a net zero pathway. Building local support in communities is key to delivering the next generation of onshore wind projects and we know that public support for action on climate change, in general, and onshore wind, in particular, is rising. Working proactively with local communities, we can ensure that the right developments can progress and that the environmental, economic and social benefits of onshore wind investment are felt at the local level. From work for local construction firms, to community benefit schemes and skilled, long-term jobs in maintenance and engineering, onshore wind can bring new opportunities to support communities and levelling-up across the UK.