Latest news with #onshorewind
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
Ministers reveal plan to nearly double onshore wind across England by 2030
The Government has unveiled its plan to almost double onshore wind across England by 2030. Ministers want to expand the country's onshore wind capacity from 14.8GW to 27-29GW by the end of the decade. It comes as part of wider Government ambitions to transition towards a clean power system by 2030, with the hope of boosting economic growth, creating jobs, reducing bills, decarbonising the grid and strengthening energy security. Last year, Labour axed the de facto ban on building onshore wind farms introduced by the Conservatives under David Cameron. The Government's move put onshore wind on an equal planning footing to offshore wind and nuclear, paving the way for projects to be rolled out faster in the coming years. The Conservatives criticised the strategy, accusing Energy Secretary Ed Miliband of making the country's energy 'unreliable and expensive' through his 'obsession with climate targets'. As part of the plan, the Government set out 40 actions for ministers and industry to take to hit the 2030 onshore wind ambitions. These include planning reforms, building supply chains and skilled workforces, resolving issues over how onshore turbines and aerospace infrastructure can co-exist, repowering old turbines, and exploring plans to expand the clean industry bonus for onshore wind. The Government claimed the strategy will support the creation of up to 45,000 skilled jobs by the end of the decade. In the foreword, Mr Miliband said: 'As one of the cheapest and fastest-to-build sources of power we have, onshore wind will play a critical role in boosting our energy independence with clean power by 2030. 'The reality is that every turbine we build helps protect families, businesses and the public finances from future fossil fuel shocks.' 'The reality is that every turbine we build helps protect families, businesses and the public finances from future fossil fuel shocks.' Matthieu Hue, co-chairman of the Onshore Wind Taskforce and chief executive of EDF Power Solutions UK and Ireland, said: 'This strategy is focusing on overcoming barriers and challenges we face across the industry in the deployment of onshore wind while capturing the major socio-economic benefits it can bring to the environment and to local economies. 'This is a critical part of making Britain a clean energy superpower and delivering energy security.' The Government said communities that host wind farms will benefit from money for community initiatives, such as new football pitches or libraries, or even bill discount schemes. A typical 25MW wind farm paying the industry standard of £5,000 per MW of installed capacity per year could deliver £3.75 million of funding to be redistributed among the community on local initiatives of their choosing over a 30-year operating life, according to the strategy document. In a statement, shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho said: '(The Energy Secretary) is shutting down the North Sea, concreting our gas wells and he's downgraded our plans for nuclear. 'All this means is that families' energy bills are going to go through the roof, and we'll just end up importing more from coal-powered China. 'The US security services have already warned us that Chinese wind turbines could pose serious risks to our national security, but he won't do a China audit. Ed wants to hit Net Zero targets no matter the cost to the British public.' Elsewhere, the Government recently completed a process to de-risk offshore wind developments, led by the Marine Spatial Prioritisation Programme. It said this will inform the Crown Estate's marine delivery route map on strategic use of the seabed so that more offshore wind farms can be built in a way that considers all marine sectors, including fisheries, and protects the environment. James Robottom, RenewableUK's head of onshore wind delivery, said: 'Overturning the unpopular onshore wind ban, which deprived us of one of the quickest and cheapest technologies to build for a decade, was just the start. 'The hard work to make the most of this great opportunity to grow our economy and strengthen the UK's energy security is now in full swing.' Sue Ferns, senior deputy general secretary of trade union Prospect, said: 'The lost years resulting from the last government's inexplicable ban have resulted in significant workforce and skills-related challenges that urgently need to be addressed, which hopefully they will be in the forthcoming clean energy workforce plan.'
Reuters
a day ago
- Business
- Reuters
Britain launches strategy to expand onshore wind, create jobs
LONDON, July 4 (Reuters) - Britain is launching its first ever onshore wind strategy, designed to boost renewable power capacity and increase jobs in the sector, the government said on Friday. Britain is aiming to largely decarbonise its electricity sector by 2030 as part of efforts to meet its climate goals, boost energy security and reduce power costs by curbing its reliance on expensive fossil fuels. 'Rolling out more onshore wind is a no-brainer – it's one of our cheapest technologies, quick to build, supports thousands of skilled jobs and can provide clean energy directly to the communities hosting it,' Energy Minister Michael Shanks said in a statement from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The government said the move could help create around 45,000 jobs. Under the strategy it is launching 40 actions to help boost onshore wind projects such as offering funding for things like football pitches or libraries in communities hosting the projects, working to repower existing wind turbines coming to the end of their lifespans and improving the planning process for new projects. 'The measures outlined will increase confidence among investors and developers, so that we can attract billions in private investment and create thousands of highly-skilled jobs and new supply chains all over the country,' James Robottom, Head of Onshore Wind Delivery at industry group RenewableUK said in the government statement. Britain currently has around 16 gigawatts (GW) of onshore wind power but is targeting 27-29 GW by 2030.
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
UK Sets Out Plan to Revive Onshore Wind Choked Off by Tories
Almost a year after lifting a de-facto ban on new onshore wind farms in England, the UK government has announced a plan to revive investment in the struggling industry. The Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce, set up in the days after last year's election, has identified more than 40 steps to spur new developments, including improvements to planning, community ownership and cooperation between the industry and the Ministry of Defense. Raising onshore wind capacity is a key pillar of the government's goal to achieve a clean power system by 2030.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ministers reveal plan to nearly double onshore wind across England by 2030
The Government has unveiled its plan to almost double onshore wind across England by 2030. Ministers want to expand the country's onshore wind capacity from 14.8GW to 27-29GW by the end of the decade. It comes as part of wider Government ambitions to transition towards a clean power system by 2030, with the hope of boosting economic growth, creating jobs, reducing bills, decarbonising the grid and strengthening energy security. Last year, Labour axed the de facto ban on building onshore wind farms introduced by the Conservatives under David Cameron. The Government's move put onshore wind on an equal planning footing to offshore wind and nuclear, paving the way for projects to be rolled out faster in the coming years. The Conservatives criticised the strategy, accusing Energy Secretary Ed Miliband of making the country's energy 'unreliable and expensive' through his 'obsession with climate targets'. As part of the plan, the Government set out 40 actions for ministers and industry to take to hit the 2030 onshore wind ambitions. These include planning reforms, building supply chains and skilled workforces, resolving issues over how onshore turbines and aerospace infrastructure can co-exist, repowering old turbines, and exploring plans to expand the clean industry bonus for onshore wind. The Government claimed the strategy will support the creation of up to 45,000 skilled jobs by the end of the decade. In the foreword, Mr Miliband said: 'As one of the cheapest and fastest-to-build sources of power we have, onshore wind will play a critical role in boosting our energy independence with clean power by 2030. 'The reality is that every turbine we build helps protect families, businesses and the public finances from future fossil fuel shocks.' 'The reality is that every turbine we build helps protect families, businesses and the public finances from future fossil fuel shocks.' Matthieu Hue, co-chairman of the Onshore Wind Taskforce and chief executive of EDF Power Solutions UK and Ireland, said: 'This strategy is focusing on overcoming barriers and challenges we face across the industry in the deployment of onshore wind while capturing the major socio-economic benefits it can bring to the environment and to local economies. 'This is a critical part of making Britain a clean energy superpower and delivering energy security.' The Government said communities that host wind farms will benefit from money for community initiatives, such as new football pitches or libraries, or even bill discount schemes. A typical 25MW wind farm paying the industry standard of £5,000 per MW of installed capacity per year could deliver £3.75 million of funding to be redistributed among the community on local initiatives of their choosing over a 30-year operating life, according to the strategy document. In a statement, shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho said: '(The Energy Secretary) is shutting down the North Sea, concreting our gas wells and he's downgraded our plans for nuclear. 'All this means is that families' energy bills are going to go through the roof, and we'll just end up importing more from coal-powered China. 'The US security services have already warned us that Chinese wind turbines could pose serious risks to our national security, but he won't do a China audit. Ed wants to hit Net Zero targets no matter the cost to the British public.' Elsewhere, the Government recently completed a process to de-risk offshore wind developments, led by the Marine Spatial Prioritisation Programme. It said this will inform the Crown Estate's marine delivery route map on strategic use of the seabed so that more offshore wind farms can be built in a way that considers all marine sectors, including fisheries, and protects the environment. James Robottom, RenewableUK's head of onshore wind delivery, said: 'Overturning the unpopular onshore wind ban, which deprived us of one of the quickest and cheapest technologies to build for a decade, was just the start. 'The hard work to make the most of this great opportunity to grow our economy and strengthen the UK's energy security is now in full swing.' Sue Ferns, senior deputy general secretary of trade union Prospect, said: 'The lost years resulting from the last government's inexplicable ban have resulted in significant workforce and skills-related challenges that urgently need to be addressed, which hopefully they will be in the forthcoming clean energy workforce plan.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Britain launches strategy to expand onshore wind, create jobs
By Susanna Twidale LONDON (Reuters) -Britain is launching its first ever onshore wind strategy, designed to boost renewable power capacity and increase jobs in the sector, the government said on Friday. Britain is aiming to largely decarbonise its electricity sector by 2030 as part of efforts to meet its climate goals, boost energy security and reduce power costs by curbing its reliance on expensive fossil fuels. 'Rolling out more onshore wind is a no-brainer – it's one of our cheapest technologies, quick to build, supports thousands of skilled jobs and can provide clean energy directly to the communities hosting it,' Energy Minister Michael Shanks said in a statement from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The government said the move could help create around 45,000 jobs. Under the strategy it is launching 40 actions to help boost onshore wind projects such as offering funding for things like football pitches or libraries in communities hosting the projects, working to repower existing wind turbines coming to the end of their lifespans and improving the planning process for new projects. 'The measures outlined will increase confidence among investors and developers, so that we can attract billions in private investment and create thousands of highly-skilled jobs and new supply chains all over the country,' James Robottom, Head of Onshore Wind Delivery at industry group RenewableUK said in the government statement. Britain currently has around 16 gigawatts (GW) of onshore wind power but is targeting 27-29 GW by 2030. (Reporting By Susanna Twidale; Editing by Hugh Lawson) Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
