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Scotsman
4 days ago
- Business
- Scotsman
Onshore wind capacity needs to double what there already is in the next five years, industry leaders say
Onshore wind farms are going to have to increase by at least double, energy bosses have said | Maritxu22 - Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland's onshore wind developments will need to double in capacity in the next five years as pressure mounts on grid upgrade works to be consented, energy leaders have said. The minimum target north of the Border for onshore wind is currently 20GW of power by 2030. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It would mean needing to double the current total installed capacity of 10.1W to date in the next five years. Colin Innes, a partner at Shepherd and Wedderburn, and who specialises in renewables, said the significant step up comes after a lull in development since the Conservative government effectively banned onshore wind in 2015. Colin Innes, a partner at Shepherd and Wedderburn | Shepherd and Wedderburn Speaking to The Scotsman, Mr Innes said: 'What needs to happen is building and building quickly to maximise the economic benefit for Scotland and catch up on the missed years we lost when there was a limited number of turbines built comparatively. 'The 'switch off' caused a blip in terms of deployment for a period of five or six years.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The calls come as Scottish Conservatives described the current net zero agenda as 'unrealistic and unaffordable' with the Scottish Government having 'missed their eco targets for years.' Mr Innes said a challenge the sector faces is an ongoing 'disconnect between what the public thinks is going on and where energy developments are going to be in a decade with how much electrification is needed to meet demand.' The Climate Change Committee (CCC) says by 2040, 80 per cent of cars should be electric and one in two homes have a heat pump as part of the nation's 'decarbonising' plan. About 60,000 UK homes installed a heat pump in 2023, according to the CCC, a figure it wants to see climb to 450,000 by 2030 and 1.5 million by 2035. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Innes said: 'People think we are trying to sort out electricity as it is now. 'But the reality is doubling the demand changes the system, changes the dynamic. 'All infrastructure needs to be a different scale.' Mr Innes said the onshore sector is 'buoyant' with 'a wide range of developers in the Scottish market coming through and a lot are getting consented.' Industry leaders said a recognised issue with this growth in renewable developments is a higher concentrations of turbines in 'intermediate areas' - not on the edge of towns or in protected areas - will be felt in years to come. This is due to restrictions to onshore wind turbines in areas including National Parks and National Scenic Areas, which, collectively, takes up about 20 per cent of the land in Scotland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Dalnacardoch Estate, which sits entirely within the Cairngorms National Park, halfway between Blair Atholl and Dalwhinnie (pic: Big Partnership) Limited delivery in England due to lower wind resource, protected uplands and solar energy competitors also drives more development in what the industry has labelled as 'hotspot areas' in Scotland. These include Caithness, Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and Argyll and Bute. The Lake District | Supplied Dumfries and Galloway and Ayrshire have been named as some of the hotspots for more wind farm developments | Katharine Hay For the communities taking the brunt, Mr Innes said 'the community benefit fund has to move beyond the village hall.' He said the communication on the 'wider benefit' of onshore developments when it comes to business rates also needs to be improved. 'The way we do business rates absolutely disassociates the benefits from onshore wind farms because it goes into a central pot and it's reallocated which means it gets lost,' Mr Innes added. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'In Scotland terms, the more generation we have the more business rates we have, the more money for public services and communities, but it gets lost because of the way we do that which is regrettable.' While renewable energy applications are flying in, including a noticeable increase in anaerobic digesters and applications and increased government funding for 'green' hydrogen plants, the grid infrastructure, which is currently being upgraded to transmit this upsurge in electricity, is facing delays. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Transmission is investing £22 billion in grid infrastructure over a five-year period from April 2026 to March 2031 to replace old lines and build 'super highways' to transfer power from developments in the north of Scotland to where energy is needed. Alison Hill, director of project development at SSEN | SSEN Alison Hill, director of project development at SSEN, said the company is on track with submitting plans for the grid upgrade, but it needs consenting bodies to act. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The company has previously criticised the Scottish consenting system after it took four and a half years for the Beauly to Denny upgrade, a development that sparked a fierce backlash from the surrounding communities. Ms Hill said the current project to reinforce the network from Fort Augustus to Skye — the only power line serving all homes and businesses along its route and in the Western Isles - is showing serious delays. 'Two and a half years in planning and we're still waiting for that consent to be determined by the energy consent unit and the Scottish ministers,' she said. 'We're looking at replacing a line that's already there. It's not a new build. 'It's difficult to understand why it's taken so long. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The overhead line route is very old. It's had ten major faults in just six years, far more than we would expect on a transmission network, so that line needs to be replaced.' Ms Hill said three new build overhead line schemes are to be submitted to the Energy Consents Unit in the coming months, adding: 'Once submitted we require the consenting bodies to act to maintain momentum for 2030.' Some of the pylon developments have drawn serious controversy from various communities across Scotland, including Aberdeenshire, where a new pylon line is proposed with some of the steel towers possibly reaching as high as 246ft (75m) and will be part of a planned 66-mile (106km) route between the town of Kintore and the village of Tealing. Earlier this year, the UK Government committed to ensuring households near new or upgraded pylons will save up to £250 a year for 10 years to be introduced through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In response to delays in consenting SSEN projects, the Scottish Government pointed to its guidance outlining the procedure to determine priority applications to install overhead line transmission infrastructure, under section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989, is within 52 weeks.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Failing to follow rules in renewables can deal a costly blow to companies
With the onshore wind sector rapidly expanding, the UK aims to become a 'clean energy superpower' by 2030 – but legal compliance with numerous health and safety standards is increasingly important for companies, says Kevin Clancy, Partner at Shepherd and Wedderburn (Image: Kevin Clancy, Partner at Shepherd and Wedderburn) The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 – together with accompanying secondary legislation, guidance etc – outlines the requirements for the country's employers to conduct risk assessments, maintain safe systems of work, and create emergency response plans for incidents. Employers owe duties to their employees and to 'persons other than their employees', including the general public. Ensuring the health and safety of onsite workers is critical to avoid reputational damage, high penalties and, most importantly, injury or death. Key health and safety risks involved in the onshore wind sector include: ■ Onsite safety: Projects in the onshore wind sector can involve working at heights of over 100 meters and operating heavy and electrical machinery. There are higher risks of falling, injury from machinery, and electrocution. ■ Weather: Scotland's unpredictable weather poses a higher risk to workers in the sector, with high winds and rainfall exacerbating health and safety risks. ■ Public safety: Wind farms tend to be in rural areas, with nearby communities. Securing the safety of residents during construction and maintenance of the project should be a priority. ■ Risk management: identifying potential risks in order to reduce incidents occurring. Lessons learned from a recent case AN engineering firm was recently fined £800,000 following the death of a construction worker on June 5th, 2022 at an onshore wind farm in the Shetland Islands. The employee died after a skip's bale arm fell on him. The company failed to consider the risks of the bale arm falling and to implement measures to protect their workers against this risk. This case highlights the importance of employers understanding health and safety regulations and the repercussions of failing to follow these rules. The onshore wind sector requires heavy machinery to be operated and the failure to recognise risks associated with this may pose a significant danger to workers. Managing health and safety risks EMPLOYERS in the onshore wind sector have a responsibility to ensure they are not creating an unsafe work environment. To mitigate risks, they must consider the following: ■ Training: Workers must be properly trained on all onsite equipment and operating this equipment at a height. Regular training to ensure ongoing compliance should be considered. ■ Protection systems: Investing in fall protection systems, personal protective equipment, and weather monitoring systems may prevent incidents. ■ Protocols: Some risks may be unavoidable, but having protocols in place when dangers arise can prevent serious harm to workers. For example, employers should consider protocols to halt work during dangerous weather conditions. Shepherd and Wedderburn's health and safety team can provide comprehensive advice on risk assessments and the prevention of incidents in the workplace. We can also offer guidance on investigations and prosecutions. For more information, contact Partner Kevin Clancy in the health and safety team at Shepherd and Wedderburn at Shepherd and Wedderburn is headline sponsor of All-Energy, the UK's largest renewable and low-carbon energy exhibition and conference, taking place in Glasgow on 14-15 May 2025. Visit the All-Energy hub to find out more:
The Herald Scotland
30-04-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Failing to follow renewables rules can deal a costly blow to companies
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 – together with accompanying secondary legislation, guidance etc – outlines the requirements for the country's employers to conduct risk assessments, maintain safe systems of work, and create emergency response plans for incidents. Employers owe duties to their employees and to 'persons other than their employees', including the general public. Ensuring the health and safety of onsite workers is critical to avoid reputational damage, high penalties and, most importantly, injury or death. Key health and safety risks involved in the onshore wind sector include: ■ Onsite safety: Projects in the onshore wind sector can involve working at heights of over 100 meters and operating heavy and electrical machinery. There are higher risks of falling, injury from machinery, and electrocution. ■ Weather: Scotland's unpredictable weather poses a higher risk to workers in the sector, with high winds and rainfall exacerbating health and safety risks. ■ Public safety: Wind farms tend to be in rural areas, with nearby communities. Securing the safety of residents during construction and maintenance of the project should be a priority. ■ Risk management: identifying potential risks in order to reduce incidents occurring. Lessons learned from a recent case AN engineering firm was recently fined £800,000 following the death of a construction worker on June 5th, 2022 at an onshore wind farm in the Shetland Islands. The employee died after a skip's bale arm fell on him. The company failed to consider the risks of the bale arm falling and to implement measures to protect their workers against this risk. This case highlights the importance of employers understanding health and safety regulations and the repercussions of failing to follow these rules. The onshore wind sector requires heavy machinery to be operated and the failure to recognise risks associated with this may pose a significant danger to workers. Managing health and safety risks EMPLOYERS in the onshore wind sector have a responsibility to ensure they are not creating an unsafe work environment. To mitigate risks, they must consider the following: ■ Training: Workers must be properly trained on all onsite equipment and operating this equipment at a height. Regular training to ensure ongoing compliance should be considered. ■ Protection systems: Investing in fall protection systems, personal protective equipment, and weather monitoring systems may prevent incidents. ■ Protocols: Some risks may be unavoidable, but having protocols in place when dangers arise can prevent serious harm to workers. For example, employers should consider protocols to halt work during dangerous weather conditions. Shepherd and Wedderburn's health and safety team can provide comprehensive advice on risk assessments and the prevention of incidents in the workplace. We can also offer guidance on investigations and prosecutions. For more information, contact Partner Kevin Clancy in the health and safety team at Shepherd and Wedderburn at Shepherd and Wedderburn is headline sponsor of All-Energy, the UK's largest renewable and low-carbon energy exhibition and conference, taking place in Glasgow on 14-15 May 2025. Visit the All-Energy hub to find out more:
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Despite headwinds, strong ambition remains on clean power targets for 2030
By Emma Moir, Senior Associate at Shepherd and Wedderburn WITH ambitious targets set for the transition to net zero by both the UK and Scottish Governments, the role of Scotland's offshore wind sector has never been more important. The recently published Clean Power 2030 Action Plan (CP30) reinforces the importance of the transition to clean power, and the urgency for more offshore wind, making it clear that delivery of the UK Government's ambition of up to 50GW of offshore wind 'requires a dramatic acceleration in progress compared to anything achieved historically and can only be achieved with a determined focus on pace and a huge collective effort across the industry.' The Scottish Government's ambition is to increase offshore wind capacity by 11GW by 2030. To put that into context, there are currently nine fully operational offshore wind farms in Scottish waters, with a total installed capacity of 2.97GW. Scotland therefore needs to almost quadruple its offshore wind infrastructure within the next five years. Projects currently with consent and to be constructed or under construction will provide approximately 3.5GW of capacity. It is therefore evident that the dramatic acceleration referred to in CP30 is essential to meet the ambitious targets set by Westminster and Holyrood. CP30 recognises the urgency of progressing the current pipeline to meet 2030 targets, noting that 'Accelerating delivery is exceptionally critical for offshore wind, where lead times for projects are often more than a decade. This means that all that can be deployed by 2030 has either already been consented or is in the development and consenting process.' The ScotWind leasing round provided a promising boost to Scotland's offshore wind sector, awarding seabed rights to 20 projects with a combined 27.6GW of capacity, and an additional 13 projects focused on reducing emissions from oil and gas production. Notwithstanding the pipeline that is there to be realised, the offshore wind industry is facing a number of challenges in achieving these targets: increasing costs, supply chain shortages, uncertainty over electricity market reforms and grid pricing increases, uncertainty over timing of upgrades required to the grid network to transmit the clean energy generated, and not least the time that it takes for projects to achieve consents. Taking the 4.1GW Berwick Bank project as an example, the offshore consent application was submitted in December 2022 and awaits a decision almost 2 and a half years on. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill was introduced into Parliament in March 2025 and seeks to streamline the Scottish electricity consents process. This reform is welcome, but what the Bill falls short of doing (notwithstanding a key recommendation of the Winser Report, on which much of the package of reforms is based, was mandatory timeframes for all parties) is prescribing statutory timescales for consent determinations, which would bring the Scottish system into alignment with the equivalent consenting process south of the border. The Bill provides that the Secretary of State or the Scottish Ministers may make regulations specifying a time limit for consent determination. There is, however, no guarantee that such regulations would be forthcoming. One hopes that the Scottish Ministers will utilise the powers to create time limits for decision-making, in turn creating a renewed focus on consenting appropriate projects quickly and driving realisation of a sustainable Scottish offshore wind industry. However, as it currently stands, it remains to be seen whether the promise of improved efficiency will come to fruition and, critically, whether the necessary reforms will be in place in time to meet the ever-looming deadline to achieve 2030 targets. ■ Shepherd and Wedderburn is headline sponsor of All-Energy, the UK's largest renewable and low-carbon energy exhibition and conference, taking place in Glasgow on 14–15 May 2025. Visit the All-Energy hub at
