Renewable UK: 15 GW onshore wind capacity achieved in the UK

The project which enabled the UK to cross the 15 GW threshold is EDF Renewables UK’s West Benhar onshore wind farm in North Lanarkshire, with a capacity of 30.1 MW, consisting of seven turbines. It brings the UK’s onshore wind capacity to 15.002 GW across 2631 projects. This represents significant progress since the UK’s first commercial wind farm, Delabole in Cornwall, opened in 1991 with a capacity of just 4 MW. Onshore wind now provides 11% of Britain’s electricity a year.

“It is great to see the impact that our efforts as a business and as part of the wider industry are having on accelerating the journey to net zero. Onshore wind has a major part to play in reaching UK’s target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050,” commented Matthieu Hue, CEO of EDF Renewables UK. “Opening West Benhar wind farm in recent weeks is a positive step to realising the country’s ambitions. We have worked closely with the local supply chain and communities throughout the project, investing millions in contracts with Scottish and UK companies to construct the wind farm. Over £4.5 million will be re-invested back into the local community over the wind farm’s lifespan. It is a great reminder of the huge positive impact brought by onshore wind farm investments to the UK.”

Most of the UK’s onshore wind fleet is Scotland with 9.4 GW up and running, which is 63% of our total onshore wind capacity. In England, where the de facto ban on onshore wind introduced in 2015 is still largely in place, 2.93 GW is fully operational (less than 20% of the UK’s capacity). Only one new turbine has gone live in England since the start of 2023, and one other is under construction. Northern Ireland has 1.35 GW (9% of UK onshore wind capacity) and Wales has 1.26 GW (8%).

The Climate Change Committee has advised the Government that the UK needs to install 35 GW of onshore wind by 2035 as a key step to reaching net zero.

"We're urging the Government to set an ambitious UK-wide target of 30 GW of onshore wind by 2030, so that we can maximise the economic benefits of this technology throughout the country. Our research shows this would boost the economy by £45 billion and create 27 000 jobs. We need to accelerate the build out of new projects in areas where local communities support onshore wind if we're to double our capacity by the end of the decade and get closer to the Government’s net zero target,” said RenewableUK's Head of Policy James Robottom.

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