Ministers to gain final approval authority for onshore wind projects

The government has unveiled plans to grant ministers the ultimate decision-making power for approving large onshore wind farms, moving this responsibility away from local councils, where opposition has frequently been intense. This initiative is among the proposals announced by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband on Friday, forming part of what the government describes as an “ambitious” action plan aimed at achieving 95% clean energy in the UK by 2030. Mr. Miliband also seeks to empower the energy regulator to prioritize projects in the queue awaiting connection to the National Grid. However, Conservative Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security Claire Coutinho stated that these plans would simply push bills “even higher.” The government intends to reincorporate major onshore wind projects into England’s Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) regime, aligning them with other energy infrastructure. Labour’s proposals would mean the government, rather than local authorities, would have the final say on approving wind farm projects exceeding 100MW. Ms. Coutinho asserted that Labour’s “rush” to decarbonise the electricity system by 2030 would elevate electricity prices and cause greater hardship for people across Britain. She remarked, “We need cheap, reliable energy – not even higher bills.” Conversely, Mr. Miliband informed BBC Breakfast on Friday that the current reliance on gas leaves consumers susceptible to price fluctuations. He stated, “At the moment we are at the mercy of the rollercoaster of fossil fuel markets – gas prices are subject to the decisions of petrostates and dictators.” He added, “It is time to have homegrown clean energy that we can control.” Before the election, Labour projected that households would save £300 on their energy bills as a result of its green measures, citing research by the independent think tank Ember. On Friday, Mr. Miliband reiterated this figure but qualified it as “up to £300,” suggesting it could be lower. Onshore wind is recognized as one of the most economical forms of clean energy. Nevertheless, projects in England have seen a 94% decline since 2015, when the preceding Conservative government tightened planning regulations for wind farms, following resistance from local communities concerning potential environmental damage. Subsequently, even a small number of local objections were sufficient to effectively block new projects. Following Labour’s general election victory, planning rules for onshore wind were eased in September 2024. However, renewable energy groups contended that these changes did not go far enough. The public will still be consulted on new wind farms, but the secretary of state will be empowered to make any final decision, based on national priorities such as tackling climate change. Mr. Miliband told the BBC’s Today programme on Friday: “There are difficult trade offs here and unless we change the way we do things we are going to be left exposed as a country.” He concluded, “In the end it will be a national decision.” The government maintains that any project will need to provide “direct community benefits” and proposes to establish a recovery fund to invest in nature projects as compensation for any environmental damage. The comprehensive 136-page action plan includes additional measures to accelerate renewable energy. Among these are prioritizing projects to enable an early connection to the electricity grid and incentivizing private investment. The government aims to move away from a “first-come first-served” approval process for the grid, instead prioritizing those projects deemed most useful. Currently, thousands of projects are awaiting approval for connection to the UK grid. If all these projects were given the go-ahead, 739GW of energy would be added to the system, representing 14 times the amount of renewable energy the country currently possesses. Labour projects these reforms could attract £40 billion annually, primarily from private investment in “homegrown clean power projects.” The industry has advocated for many of these measures for years and generally welcomed the plans. Lucy Yu, CEO for the think tank Centre for Net Zero, commented: “The Clean Power Action Plan shows that the government isn’t afraid to be bold, illustrated by the breadth and nature of proposed changes.” Ms. Yu, who also serves as a government adviser, cautioned ministers not to “forget the central role of consumers and communities in the energy transition.” She added, “The British public’s support will be key, and the government must ensure clean power delivery has their interests at heart.”