The UK Government set on becoming a ‘clean energy superpower’: The Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy

In July 2025, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (“DESNZ”) published its first-ever dedicated strategy aimed at revitalising the deployment of onshore wind power in the UK (the “Onshore Wind Strategy”), which is available here. This marks a decisive shift after nearly a decade of stagnation of the industry in England, as a result of the de facto planning ban for onshore wind in England. The Onshore Wind Strategy calls on stakeholders including DESNZ and other government departments, industry representatives, Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator (“NESO”) to collaborate on the implementation of the actions set out in the Onshore Wind Strategy. Importantly, the Onshore Wind Strategy aims to put onshore wind on the map to help drive the UK towards energy independence and clean power by 2030. This LawNow will explore the actions put in place by the Onshore Wind Strategy and explain what this means for the industry.

The Onshore Wind Strategy

The Onshore Wind Strategy highlights the background of onshore wind policy in the UK, noting that development in England has been largely impeded by the de facto ban arising from restrictions in the National Planning Policy Framework; this required onshore wind developments to provide strong evidence that there was zero local opposition to the building of the development, which is rarely the case with any building proposal. The new Onshore Wind Strategy reverses that course in England by setting out actions to deliver up to 29GW of onshore wind by 2030, that is needed in order to meet its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. If the Onshore Wind Strategy is successful in deploying this amount of onshore wind, this could deliver up to 45,000 jobs and result in £70m worth of investment each year in local community benefits.

The Onshore Wind Strategy explicitly sets out 42 actions, which aim to combat barriers that exist for different parts of the industry currently and to accelerate the deployment of onshore wind by 2030. 

Site selection, preparation and consenting

Before there is an onshore wind project, the developer must select a site that is suitable, agree leases or options for the land, prepare site surveys and secure necessary consents. This takes a significant amount of time, which means many projects fail to progress to construction. The Onshore Wind Strategy sets out 9 actions with the intention of reducing attrition rates and ensuring a streamlined consenting process.

• Action 1: The Government will modernise the existing system of environmental assessments through the introduction of environmental outcomes reports.
• Action 2: The Government will scope a data tool to support with the identification of suitable sites for onshore wind. This action addresses the fact that local planning authorities do not have the same data collecting capabilities that onshore wind developers have.
• Action 3: The Government will consider the role that Great British Energy (“GBE”) can play in supporting development opportunities.
• Action 4: The Government will re-introduce onshore wind into the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (“NSIP”) regime with an updated threshold of 100MW. The Government have already actioned this, and the legislation re-introducing onshore wind projects to the NSIP regime will come into force on 31 December 2025. This means that large-scale onshore wind projects will have some certainty when going through the planning consent process, by having the benefit of being considered a national benefit to meet the UK’s decarbonisation goals, provided the project meets the threshold of 100MW. Projects which are below this threshold will remain subject to local planning authorities, however developers will also have the option to invoke Section 35 of the Planning Act 2008 (allowing the Secretary of State to direct that the project shall be treated as an  NSIP, even though it would fall short of the 100MW threshold) if they believe their project meets the criteria for being considered under the NSIP scheme.
• Action 5: The Government will launch a consultation on permitted development rights for onshore wind. The Government consultation is expected to be introduced by the end of 2025.
• Action 6: The Government will signal the availability of long-term operational consent timelines for onshore wind and flexibility in the commencement of development period. As consents issued by local planning authorities tend to be time-limited, this may lead to further costs if extensions are needed for a project. It is expected that the necessary flexibility will be provided by an update to the Planning Practice Guidance.
• Action 7: The Government will update planning policy and guidance that is used throughout the planning system. The updates are necessary to ensure that new planning applications are not made using outdated policy information.
• Action 8: The Government will provide training and resource support to local planning authorities and statutory consultees in assessing applications.
• Action 9: The Government will deliver planning policy guidance to support the repowering and lifetime extension of existing sites.

Networks and System Planning

Onshore wind developers will also need to apply for permission to connect to the electricity network, however it is not uncommon for onshore wind projects to receive grid connection offers that are beyond 5 years from operational readiness. The following 5 actions are intended to ensure that relevant parties work to address these barriers.

• Action 10: The Government will work with Ofgem, NESO and network companies to continue to progress radical connections reform. This confirms that the current Government is committed to proceeding with a fundamental reform of the grid connection process, with its proposals on this being announced on 10^th July 2025, available here.
• Action 11: Ofgem will consider sharper obligations and incentives on network companies to hold them to account for changes in connection costs and timescales. To address this, Ofgem will be reviewing the connection incentives and obligations for NESO and network companies, with an aim of reducing connection times.
• Action 12: Ofgem and Government will explore options for providing certainty on Transmission Network Use of System charges for generators.
• Action 13: Ofgem and network companies will continue to review charging arrangements for supergrid transformers.
• Action 14: The Government, together with NESO and Ofgem, will deliver the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan and centralised strategic network plan. This will be published next year by NESO following consultation.

Communities and public perception

The Onshore Wind Strategy includes 7 actions which have the aim of increasing engagement with local communities, who may have reservations about developments proposed in their local area. These actions intend to ensure that the engagement between local communities is meaningful throughout all parts of the development process and that all information is shared transparently between stakeholders. To achieve this, the best practice principles of community engagement will be formally implemented into planning guidance in England, and the Government will also consider whether it will mandate other protocols as well (e.g. the Government will consider making it a mandatory obligation to provide community benefits in the context of energy infrastructure projects generally). There will also be efforts to bring about delivering targeted, strategic regional campaigns in order to successfully communicate the benefits and impacts of onshore wind developments to local communities.

Separately, the Government will be required to review the Community Electricity Right under the Infrastructure Act 2015 (the “2015 Act”). The 2015 Act gives the Secretary of State the power to make regulations that give individuals the right to buy a stake in a renewable energy generation facility in their local area. However, this power has not been exercised to date. As such, the Onshore Wind Strategy requires the Government to carry out a review of the 2015 Act Community Electricity Right. In May 2025 the Government published a working paper that sought to gather evidence on the benefits and barriers of shared ownership, which is available here, and this is expected to feed directly into the review of the 2015 Act Community Electricity Right.

Aviation and defence

The Onshore Wind Strategy recognises that onshore wind turbines can cause interference with civil aviation and defence infrastructure, and has dedicated 10 actions on this area specifically. These include the following:

• Action 22: The Government will commission an annual survey of onshore wind impacts on aviation and defence infrastructure.
• Action 23: The Government will develop best practice guidance on use of non-disclosure agreements (“NDAs”) when resolving aviation objections. The use of NDAs limits understanding on why a project has been objected to, and can impact the ability of developers to identify and provide timely and cost-effective solutions without delaying the project.
• Action 24: The Government will coordinate a developer-funded programme of trials to test a range of potential solutions to onshore wind turbine interference with MOD Air Traffic Control. The aim of this action is to overcome the current lack of mitigation solutions for the co-existence of onshore wind farms and military Air Traffic Control Primary Surveillance Radars.
• Action 26: The Government will explore creating a new post in the civil aviation authority with responsibility for providing neutral and objective advice for stakeholders and facilitating discussions.

Finance and routes to market

The Onshore Wind Strategy addresses the current financial barriers faced by onshore wind developers in terms of the investment with the following actions:

• Action 32: The Government will establish a joint industry-government 2030 pipeline and delivery group, to improve how to recognise and respond to key barriers to deployment across the UK.
• Action 33: Government will publish its response to the Contracts for Difference (“CfD”) allocation Round 7 consultation. The Government’s response was published on 15 July 2025, available here. In the response, one of the topics of discussion is the repowering of onshore wind. Following stakeholder feedback, the Government sets out its policy response on the proposed changes to the CfD rules and contract terms in order to implement CfD support for onshore wind repowering projects in the next allocation round. Also, the government intends to increase the length of CfD contracts from 15 to 20 years, which will apply to onshore wind contracts as well.
• Action 34: National Wealth Fund to explore supporting onshore wind Power Purchase Agreements where the end-user does not have an investment-grade credit rating.
• Action 35: The Government will issue an update on reformed national and zonal pricing proposals in REMA, including treatment of legacy and transitional assets and continue to work with industry on policy development. In line with this action the Government has published an update on REMA on 10^th July 2025, available here. The main outcome is that DESNZ has confirmed its decision to reject Zonal Pricing but our LawNow article summarises all the REMA updates, available here.

Supply chain, skills and workforce

Finally, the Onshore Wind Strategy also addresses the economic opportunities that the deployment of new onshore wind opportunities will bring. There are 7 actions that aim to provide for new skills, create job opportunities and strengthen the UK supply chain in the industry.

The Onshore Wind Strategy includes actions that require the Government to review the different financial incentives that are available for onshore wind supply chain investment. For example, this will include working with Renewable UK to conduct a supply chain capability analysis, considering the possibility of expanding the Clean Industry Bonus to support onshore wind supply chain investment and including onshore wind in the Government’s Industrial Strategy.

The Government is interested in exploring the opportunity of the UK being a leader in recycling and circular economy for onshore wind components. The Onshore Wind Strategy recognises the current efforts being done, in particular in Scotland. As onshore wind farms reach the end of their operational life slowly, this provides an opportunity for the Government to monitor and assess how effective any initiatives are. The actions in the Onshore Wind Strategy require the Government to monitor the developments, and work with the Scottish Government to consider any areas that may need government intervention. Separately, the Government will also work with the Scottish Government and Police Scotland to consider whether any actions are needed in England for the escort requirements in component transportation and construction.

Next steps

Overall, the Onshore Wind Strategy aims to improve the statutory and policy basis for onshore wind in line with its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. At the same time, local interests are set to gain enhanced recognition. The actions set out several consultations and guidance updates that are worth keeping an eye on for further developments. For the moment, the Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy marks an ambitious and forward-looking proposition that seeks to align net zero goals and energy security with robust legal frameworks and practical planning reforms.

Co-authored by Sofie Santry, Trainee Solicitor at CMS