England hits ten-year high in onshore wind farm applications
Since Labour reversed the block on onshore developments just over two years ago, onshore wind power capacity entering the planning system has more than tripled
There has been a surge in demand for new onshore wind farms in England after Labour overturned the Conservatives’ 2015 de facto ban.
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With 45 plans submitted in the year to March, applications have reached their highest annual level in a decade.
Onshore wind power capacity entering the planning system has more than tripled since
Since Labour reversed the block on onshore developments just over two years ago, onshore wind power capacity entering the planning system has more than tripled, an analysis has revealed.
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Applications for around 9 megawatts of onshore wind were submitted in England each month on a 12-month rolling average basis before Labour’s election victory.
That rate reached about 36MW a month by the beginning of this year as renewable energy developers began to return to England, according to government data analysed by the Guardian.
When the Conservatives first started to loosen the red tape on onshore wind developments in the months before September 2023, new onshore wind power capacity entering the planning system reached an historic low, averaging just 1 megawatt per month.
That figure is lower than Ukraine's completion of onshore wind farms, even under Russian occupation.
A government spokesperson said: “For too long, a de facto ban held back onshore wind in England, despite its potential to strengthen our energy security, grow the economy and get bills down for good.
“That is why we lifted the ban, backed the largest onshore windfarm in England in a decade through our flagship renewables auction, and made it easier for farms and factories to install a single small turbine – no bigger than an oak tree – without needing planning permission.”
The analysis showed that since the ban was lifted, the average onshore windfarm proposed in England had just two turbines, delivering 8MW of renewable power. Only one windfarm with a capacity above 100MW has been proposed.
In total, England’s onshore wind proposals since the ban was lifted have climbed to 438MW. That's compared to applications totalling 490MW in Wales and 5,280MW in Scotland over the same period.