UK onshore wind project pipeline expands to 42.7 GW

The UK’s pipeline of onshore wind projects at all development stages, from operational to pre-planning, has reached 42.7 GW after expanding by 4.2 GW in the 12 months since September 2023, RenewableUK said today.

Growth accelerated significantly from the 1.5-GW pipeline expansion observed in the previous 12-month period between September 2022 and September 2023. According to RenewableUK’s EnergyPulse Onshore Wind Report, the UK now has 15.5 GW of onshore wind capacity, including 594 MW that went online so far in 2024. Scotland has 10 GW in operation and accounts for 75% of the UK’s total onshore wind pipeline.

The report projects that if all the planned projects are realised within the currently expected timeframes, the UK's onshore wind capacity could reach 27.8 GW by 2030, which includes repowering older projects with new turbines.

RenewableUK’s head of policy James Robottom highlighted that in March the UK reached 15 GW of onshore wind capacity and last week hit 30 GW of onshore and offshore wind combined, and also noted that one of the new government’s first actions was to lift the de facto ban on onshore wind projects in England​ after almost a decade.

The report is being released a day ahead of the Onshore Wind 2024 Conference in Edinburgh, hosted by RenewableUK and Scottish Renewables.

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