UK government removes offshore wind energy tariffs

The measure will enable British manufacturers to produce components at a reduced cost and allow reinvestment for clean energy sector growth. This investment in the UK’s largest source of renewable energy is vital for addressing the climate crisis and building the UK’s energy security – offshore wind is 40% cheaper to produce and maintain than new gas projects according to the LCOE industry metric.

This follows a record 8.4 GW and £22 billion of offshore wind investment secured in the January 2026 Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 7 – enough clean energy to power the equivalent of over 12 million homes. This includes Berwick Bank in the North Sea – the first new Scottish project since 2022 and one of the largest planned offshore wind projects in the world.

This announcement highlights the UK government’s vision to align Industrial and Trade Strategy outcomes, demonstrating the ability to use trade measures strategically to drive growth whilst supporting domestic industry.

It directly delivers on the Trade Strategy commitment to ensure that Britain’s international trade and environmental objectives are mutually supportive, by seeking outcomes, including internationally, that secure access to goods, services, and technologies that are needed for the clean energy transition.

A new authorised use measure will conditionally reduce the import tariff paid at the border to zero. This conditionality will protect UK producers from being undercut by cheap imports in other sectors which may use similar goods.

An Authorised Use procedure permits UK-based traders to pay a reduced or zero rate of customs duty on imported goods, provided they are used for a specified purpose and processed within a certain period. Eligible imports in this measure include items for the manufacture of cables, rotors, rotor blades, auxiliary and low-voltage systems used in both onshore and offshore substations or wind turbines, as specified under the Authorised Use procedure.

For more news and technical articles from the global renewable industry, read the latest issue of Energy Global magazine.

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Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/wind/11032026/uk-government-removes-offshore-wind-energy-tariffs/