Regen welcomes the quick and decisive action that the new government has taken on onshore wind, including removing planning constraints in England and establishing the Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce. In this short paper, we set out Regen's priorities for the Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce.
The Taskforce will be crucial in identifying and implementing the actions needed to accelerate onshore wind deployment to 2030 and beyond. Building on our long history of working with the onshore wind sector, our extensive developer events and thought leadership pieces and our unwavering support for the community energy sector, we have developed a set of key recommendations for the Taskforce. In our report, we outline six priority areas that we believe the Taskforce should concentrate on, summarised below.
Regen is keen to work with the Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce to ensure that onshore wind deployment can be rapidly accelerated in a way that also delivers significant benefits for communities across the UK.
A focus on communities. We urge the Taskforce to ensure that local communities are at the heart of onshore wind development. High-quality engagement is essential, focusing on involving people in project decisions and tailoring community benefits to meet the specific needs of those living near wind farms. This includes promoting shared ownership models that allow communities to own a stake in local projects. Additionally, we advocate for enabling communities to develop and benefit from their own community-owned onshore wind projects.
Connecting projects at pace. Securing timely grid connections remains one of the major barriers to expanding onshore wind. To address this, we recommend that the Taskforce collaborates closely with Ofgem’s Connections Delivery Board and NESO’s Connections Process Advisory Group to drive the next phase of grid connection reforms. These reforms should focus on aligning grid connections with the government’s Clean Power Plan, ensuring that the right mix of renewable technologies can access the grid in a timely manner. Additionally, we recommend exploring the potential for co-location and shared connection agreements to optimise grid usage.
Reforming revenue support. To attract more onshore wind investment, we advise the Taskforce to advocate for reforms in revenue support mechanisms such as the Contracts for Difference scheme. These reforms should provide more stable and predictable income streams for onshore wind projects, reducing the GB power markets’ exposure to volatile international gas prices. We also recommend changes to the electricity market that would enhance the role of flexibility and support local energy supply models.
Repowering existing onshore wind sites. With over 150 sites expected to face repowering decisions by 2030 (totalling over 3 GW of capacity and more than 1,500 individual turbines), the Taskforce should seek to explore and address the unique challenges these projects face. We also recommend exploring how repowering can lead to improved community and environmental benefits.
Further planning reforms. Deploying onshore wind at pace will not be possible without significant planning reforms. The Taskforce should seek clarity on the role of strategic planning, such as the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan. There is a significant need to address local planning authorities’ resourcing issues, as discussed in our recent paper on local planning.
Capturing wider benefits and skills. The development of the onshore wind sector is a valuable opportunity for investment, growth in green jobs and increased skills development. We suggest that the Taskforce strongly focuses on developing the supply chain and skills needed to maximise the economic and social benefits of onshore wind.
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