Green groups call on government to ‘unblock’ onshore wind ahead of energy security strategy

Poll shows 70 per cent support the installation of more onshore wind turbines in the UK

Westmill Wind Farm Co-op, the first onshore wind farm to be built in the south-east of England, in 2008. (AFP via Getty Images)

The government should “unblock” onshore wind in England and increase the UK’s clean energy supply, green groups have said ahead of Boris Johnson’s expected energy security strategy.

In an open letter addressed to business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng and levelling up secretary Michael Gove, the climate charity Possible backed by thirteen other green organisations — including Greenpeace, The Wildlife Trusts and Mums for Lungs — called on the government to remove planning blocks on new onshore wind projects in England.

Instead, there should be a system that prioritises local involvement, protects and restores nature, and does not allow lone dissenting voices to veto projects with wide community support, the letter said.

“It is clear that the current planning system is effectively a ban and is not fit for purpose,” it reads. “Expanding the UK’s supply of renewable electricity from our own abundant domestic wind, wave and solar resources would help to end reliance on imported gas as quickly as possible.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent oil and gas prices soaring and governments scrambling to wean themselves off Russian fossil fuels and to boost energy resilience. Mr Johnson’s government has pledged to phase out Russian oil and oil products, which account for around 8 per cent of UK demand, by the end of the year, and has said it’s also exploring options to end imports of Russian natural gas — which account for around 4 per cent of the UK’s supply.

The prime minister has said he plans to lay out an energy security strategy that will spell out how the UK can reduce foreign oil and gas imports. It is expected to greenlight an increase in the extraction of gas and oil from the North Sea, as well as an expansion of renewables and nuclear energy.

A key battle ground ahead of the strategy has reportedly been whether strict planning barriers for onshore wind projects implemented by David Cameron’s government should be relaxed. The BBC reported last week that the issue had split the cabinet.

The policy change led to a 97 per cent decline in the number of wind turbines that have been granted planning permission in the period 2016-2021 compared to the period 2009-2014, according to research by the University of the West of England in Bristol.

Tim Lord, an associate senior fellow on Net Zero at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, has said the “effective ‘ban’” on new onshore wind since 2015 has meant the UK is using more gas than it otherwise would have. This extra gas, he said, accounts for more than the country imports from Russia.

The spike in energy prices following Russia’s invasion has pitted climate campaigners against some Conservative backbenchers. The former have called on the government to embrace renewables and better insulate British buildings to ease the squeeze on household budgets and combat climate change, while the latter have amplified their calls for the UK to support fracking and to expand North Sea exploration.

Critics of wind power often point to the fact that it is not guaranteed that the wind will blow. But green groups say wind is an important part of the renewable energy mix, and point out that it’s “clean, cheap and popular.”

Despite the reported cabinet split, a YouGov poll last year found that 70 per cent of respondents supported the installation of more onshore wind turbines in the UK. A more recent report by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy found that 80 percent of people supported onshore wind.

In 2020, wind accounted for 24 percent of total electricity generation, with offshore wind accounting for 13 percent and onshore accounting for 11 percent, according to the Office for National Statistics.

In the same year, the government estimated that on-shore wind would cost around £46 per megawatt-hour by 2025, compared to £85 for gas. The estimates suggest it will be the second cheapest energy source after large solar in 2025, according to analysis by Carbon Brief.

Battery capacity is also improving, helping to store excess wind.

“Around twice as many people support the expansion of renewables over further investment in oil and gas,” said Danny Gross, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, one of the group’s that signed the letter.

“The public can clearly see what’s right for the long-term: the government would do well to catch up.”

Joe Tetlow, senior political adviser at Green Alliance, another group that signed the letter said, onshore power needs to be at “the very heart of the government’s strategy to get off Russian gas, bolster our energy security and accelerate the push to cut carbon emissions.”

A spokesperson for BEIS said: “We want to boost the use of renewable energy and nuclear to reduce our dependence on foreign fossil fuels and bring down costs, with solar and wind now much cheaper than fossil fuels.

“Our upcoming energy security strategy will supercharge our renewable energy and nuclear capacity as well as supporting our North Sea oil and gas industry.”