The Scottish Onshore Wind Developers Forum calls on the Scottish Government to set ambition for onshore wind of at least 30 GW by 2040
- Call for Holyrood to set out a clear, long-term vision for the Scottish onshore wind sector beyond 2030
- New research from BiGGAR Economics finds that hitting 30 GW by 2040 would deliver at least £4 billion GVA in Scotland and support more than 6,000 jobs
The Scottish Onshore Wind Developers Forum (SOWDF) has called on the Scottish Government to set a target of at least 30 GW of installed onshore wind capacity by 2040, arguing that a clear long-term ambition is essential to ensure the lowest cost of future energy for UK consumers and maximise Scottish economic growth.
In a recent letter to the Scottish Energy Minister, Stephen Gethins MSP, SOWDF said that while Scotland has articulated a clear, long-term vision for offshore wind up to 2040, there remains no equivalent target for onshore wind deployment which risks undermining investment, supply chain growth and future energy planning.
An ambition of at least 30 GW by 2040, SOWDF argues, would give developers, investors and communities the certainty needed to deliver new projects, repower existing sites and maintain Scotland's position as a world leading hub for renewable energy, while supporting the aims of the UK Government’s Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) which will determine the UK’s energy production after 2030.
Together, members representing SOWDF have an estimated pipeline of more than 6 GW of Scottish onshore wind in development that would play a key role in helping to meet the 2040 ambition.
The call from SOWDF is backed by newly published research from BiGGAR Economics which highlights the benefits that unlocking Scotland’s onshore wind pipeline after 2030 could deliver[1], that include:
- Generating an additional £4.2 billion Gross Value Added (GVA) for the Scottish economy by 2040;
- Supporting an average of 6,100 more jobs across Scotland between 2034 and 2040 across development, construction and operation;
- Generating an additional £44 million paid into community benefits annually by 2040, and £88 million paid in additional business rates; and
- Delivering a benefit across the wider UK, equivalent to an additional £7.1 billion GVA by 2040, and increasing UK wide jobs supported by the Scottish onshore wind sector by 120% by 2040.
Chair of the Scottish Onshore Wind Developers Forum and Head of Development at Cubico Sustainable Investments, Rosie Vetter, said:
'Scotland's onshore wind industry has been one of the country's great economic success stories delivering clean power at scale, however the current low ambition after 2030 risks preventing the deployment of one of the quickest and cheapest renewable technologies that can support the UK’s energy security.
'We have been encouraged by the recent comments from Minister Gethins that Holyrood’s 20 GW by 2030 onshore wind deployment target “must be a milestone rather than an end point” as we look ahead to the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan being finalised later this year.
'Setting an ambition of at least 30 GW by 2040 would send a powerful signal that Scotland intends to remain at the forefront of the clean energy transition by maximising its renewable potential.
'BiGGAR’s new research further bolsters this argument by setting out the clear economic benefits, job creation and increased flow of community benefit and business rates that could be delivered if we meet this ambition.'
Simon Cleary, Energy Transition Director at BiGGAR Economics, added:
'Scotland has a natural advantage in delivering low-cost onshore wind for the UK. Capping this sector after 2030 would put thousands of jobs at risk.
'Setting and achieving a target of 30 GW of onshore wind in Scotland by 2040 would enable the economy to build on this natural advantage and unlock an additional £4.2 billion GVA in Scotland. This would deliver significant benefits for the supply chain, energy consumers and the communities that host these projects'.
Earlier this year, SOWDF commissioned Aurora Energy Research to undertake analysis which found that increasing Scottish onshore wind after 2030 would deliver a significantly cheaper energy system for UK consumers, reducing energy system costs by billions of pounds each year that would help accelerate progress towards energy security and support climate change targets.[2]
Onshore wind in Scotland is playing a key role in helping to reduce consumer bills by pushing fossil fuels off the system. According to Carbon Brief, the UK has avoided the need for gas imports worth £5.9bn since the start of the Hormuz crisis as a result of record generation wind and solar.[3]
Source: Scottish Onshore Wind Developers Forum
