Clean power 2030: 95 per cent of onshore wind projects in the pipeline are in devolved nations, IPPR finds

Ramping up emerging collaboration between devolved nations will be mission critical to achieving the UK government's 2030 clean energy targets, a new IPPR report has found. With Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland being pivotal in the transition to renewable energy, many levers of the government, both devolved and reserved, will need to work together to rapidly expand wind energy and upgrade the electricity grid. 

The IPPR report finds that:  

• 95 per cent of onshore and 30 per cent of offshore wind projects in the pipeline are in devolved nations. 
• Both the UK government and the devolved governments share challenges related to not having enough resources in their planning systems.
• Scotland's vast land and sea areas mean it holds a large share of the projects needed to achieve the UK's Clean Power Target. But to ensure fairness and a strong energy system, green growth needs to happen across the UK.

The UK is recognised as a global leader in wind energy, with some of the most ambitious targets in the world. Delivering clean power by 2030 will need 27 gigawatts of onshore wind, up from 14 gigawatts today, and 43-51 gigawatts of offshore wind, up from 15 gigawatts.  However, the National Energy System Operator has described this goal as being “at the limit of what is feasible.” To achieve these targets, the report finds that unprecedented cooperation and coordination are needed across all regions of the UK.  

Early signs suggest that the new UK and devolved governments are off to a strong start, with each nation setting its own targets to seize opportunities for creating jobs and driving investment into their economies. Collaborative relationships are also proving to be close and effective at both administrative and political levels.   

To continue this progress, IPPR's report calls for a more determined four-nations approach baked into policy making with shared goals, aligned strategies, and clear systems to track progress. This would help ensure everyone—from governments to organisations like NESO and Ofgem—stays accountable. 

Other core recommendations include:   

• Better planning and skill-building: Strengthen national and local planning, include renewable energy training in schools and colleges, and develop a workforce plan for offshore wind. This plan should detail needed skills and the training each nation will provide to create good jobs for new and retraining workers.
• Investing in infrastructure and manufacturing: Introducing capital grants and a long-term support mechanism for port infrastructure upgrades and domestic wind manufacturing, creating a nationally owned fleet of ships to support offshore wind projects and ensuring the British Jobs Bonus delivers high-quality local jobs in the wind supply chain.
• Involving the public: Using programmes like citizens' juries to involve communities and build support for renewable energy projects and upgrades to the energy grid.  

Josh Emden, senior research fellow at IPPR, says:   

“The energy system does not stop at the borders of countries and achieving a clean power system by 2030 will require unprecedented coordination across the UK's nations. There are positive early signs of more collaboration between all four nations. To accelerate wind deployment and maximise local economic benefits, this will need to continue across both reserved issues like support for ports, grid upgrades and local manufacturing, and devolved issues like planning and skills policy.” 

Dave Hawkey, senior research fellow at IPPR Scotland, says:   

“Scotland's leadership in onshore wind deployment offers valuable lessons for other nations. It's crucial we adopt a unified approach to ensure equitable development and maximise benefits for all regions.”  

ENDS

NOTE TO EDITORS:  

• The existing pipeline of new wind projects is just sufficient to reach the deployment levels NESO set out as necessary for clean power by 2030. Of the onshore wind pipeline due to deliver by 2030, around 85 per cent of new capacity is in Scotland, 10 per cent in Wales and 5 per cent in Northern Ireland. Of the offshore wind pipeline around 25 per cent is in Scotland and 5 per cent in Wales. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 per cent and so do not add up.