UK Offshore Wind Power’s Potential Needs Labour’s Love, Too
It’s encouraging to see the party take immediate steps to speed the rollout of renewables, but meeting its targets will be harder if this market is neglected.
The winds of change.
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/BloombergA mere 72 hours into the new Labour government, the nine-year de facto ban on onshore wind in England was lifted with the swift deletion of two footnotes. It’s heartening to see new ministers taking immediate steps to accelerate the rollout of renewables. But if they’re going to reach their targets, offshore wind also needs more support.
The ban took the form of two tests, applying only to onshore wind, which meant that a single planning objection could scupper a project. The changes, which now put turbines on an even footing with other forms of infrastructure, won’t lead to shovels in the ground immediately, but will make it far easier to bring a development to fruition. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves also indicated that the government will go further and consult on classifying onshore wind farms as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects again, meaning decisions on large developments would be taken nationally rather than locally.