Energy Collaboration: Great British Energy Teams Up with The Crown Estate for Renewable Ventures
The UK government has announced the launch of an Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce, aiming to double the country's onshore wind capacity to around 30GW by 2030. This ambitious target is part of the government's Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.
The taskforce, led by Energy Security and Net Zero Security, Ed Miliband, and Matthie Hue, CEO of EDF Renewables, will bring together relevant industry bodies to agree on steps needed to remove barriers, establish consensus, and ensure stability. Former Siemens CEO Juergen Maier has been appointed as Chair of GB Energy, which is partnering with The Crown Estate to accelerate the investment in and development of renewable energy projects in the UK.
The partnership between Great British Energy and The Crown Estate is aimed at developing projects across a range of technologies, including offshore wind and carbon capture and hydrogen. This collaboration is expected to receive over £8 billion in funding from the government, with the hope of leveraging up to £60 billion in additional private investment.
The Onshore Wind Council, which took over from the taskforce, has been established to lead the implementation of the Government’s first dedicated Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy. The main objectives of the Onshore Wind Council are to drive delivery of the 42 committed actions in the Strategy, monitor progress, tackle key implementation challenges collaboratively, respond to emerging challenges and opportunities, and capture economic benefits as the sector grows.
The Strategy sets a target to increase onshore wind capacity from the current 15 GW to up to 29 GW by 2030. To achieve this, the Strategy includes over 40 actions addressing critical barriers such as planning reform and better site selection, reducing grid connection delays, improving access to finance and investment conditions, supporting the development of the domestic supply chain and workforce, engaging communities and aviation stakeholders to manage impacts effectively.
The proposed reforms move away from a "first come, first served" approach to a "first ready, first connected" approach. This change aims to speed up permissions and connections for onshore wind projects, unlocking investment opportunities estimated at around £40 billion annually and contributing significantly to the UK's goal to become a clean energy superpower.
The National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) has published consultations on code modification proposals for grid connection reform. The consultations, CMP434 and CMP435, opened on 25 July and will close on 6 August 2024. These reforms are expected to further streamline the process of connecting onshore wind projects to the grid.
According to Dan McGrail, onshore wind has a key role in bringing secure, low-cost power to the whole country. Delivering 30GW of onshore wind by the end of the decade would boost the economy by £45 billion and create 27,000 jobs. The taskforce is also expected to be accompanied by the re-activation of the UK's Solar Taskforce.
In summary, the Onshore Wind Taskforce has developed a strategy to double the UK's onshore wind capacity to about 29 GW by 2030 through coordinated government and industry actions on planning, grid infrastructure, financing, and economic benefits delivery. The Onshore Wind Council now leads the implementation of this strategy, working towards a cleaner, more sustainable, and economically beneficial future for the UK.
Sports should not be neglected in the UK's focus on renewable energy as the Onshore Wind Council now leads the implementation of a strategy to double the country's onshore wind capacity to about 29 GW by 2030, aiming to bring secure, low-cost power and economic benefits. As the taskforce focusses on planning, grid infrastructure, financing, and economic benefits delivery, it is important to note the potential for sports to contribute to the economy and provide job opportunities, in addition to clean energy initiatives.
