The new UK government has removed the de facto ban on onshore wind in England which has been in place since 2015. This was announced in a policy statement issued by new UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves on 8 July 2024 and is effective immediately.

The statement confirms the government’s commitment to doubling onshore wind energy by 2030 and delivering on a clean power mission which “will help boost Britain’s energy independence, save money on energy bills, support high-skilled jobs and tackle the climate crisis.”

In a Financial Times opinion piece entitled “The risky holes in Keir Starmer’s green plan” journalist Pilita Clark questions the new Labour government’s ability to make the UK a “trailblazing clean energy superpower”. In terms of the ban specifically, she points out that while it should “reassure investors that the government is serious about its plans to double onshore wind, triple solar power and quadruple offshore wind by 2030”….these efforts need to be “squared with its other pledges”, such as protecting nature and reducing net migration.

According to Clark, “pylon politics” are “already intense” with critics warning of the “impact on natural landscapes.” She also wonders whether the UK will have “enough home-grown skilled workers” to build the wind farms that will be required.

Read the full article here.