TO BE PUBLISHED March 2026
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This conference will examine next steps for onshore wind in England - examining practicalities and priorities in light of the Government’s aim to double production of onshore wind energy by 2030.
Following publication of the Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy, the Clean Power 2030 target for UK onshore wind, areas for discussion include priorities for policy, regulation and supporting market growth. We also expect delegates to consider potential implications of the Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 7 results.
Implementation, coordination & addressing challenges for delivery
The conference will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to assess approaches to supporting expansion of onshore wind, including how the CP30 objective of an uplift in capacity for England and Wales might be realised in practice. Delegates will discuss options for fostering investor confidence, alongside managing key delivery risks around planning and consenting processes, grid readiness and connection, and supply chain capacity.
The agenda will also examine strategic considerations for achieving rapid deployment alongside meaningful community engagement, and securing local acceptance.
Priorities for the new Onshore Wind Council in implementation alongside regulators, funding institutions, and specialist government agencies will be discussed.
Enablers for growth - finance, competition, capacity & skills
Implementation timelines and sequencing will be a focus, looking at finance and contractual mechanisms, and regulatory steps needed to translate strategy into investable projects. We expect this to include anticipated implications of the CfD AR7 auction and recent changes to the regime for market certainty and prospects for repowering existing sites.
Delegates will assess strategic pathways for supporting market growth and domestic capacity. They will examine the potential role of public investment vehicles, such as Great British Energy and the National Wealth Fund, in leveraging private capital - as well as reform to the Clean Industry Bonus ahead of CfD AR8, and implications of the Industrial Strategy and Clean Energy Jobs Plan for supply chain, skills and regional clusters.
Discussion is also expected on concerns that the evolving CfD and planning framework may favour larger developers over smaller and community-scale schemes, with potential implications for market diversity and competition.
Attendees will consider what will be needed to address skills shortages in wind energy manufacturing, installation, and maintenance. Areas for discussion include priorities for upskilling and training initiatives to support a growing workforce in renewable energy. Career transition pathways for workers from fossil fuel industries into wind energy will also be examined, following the recent publication of government’s Clean Energy Jobs Plan.
Project pipeline development, infrastructure & grid readiness
Key issues for planning and consent for onshore wind projects at both a local and national level will be considered.
Following the revised National Planning Policy Framework published in February 2025 - including the requirement for community support for onshore wind and specific allocations in local plans - the conference will look at how to reconcile public support at a national level for onshore wind projects with acceptance in affected communities. This includes approaches to the challenge of balancing onshore wind deployment with competing land use pressures, including agriculture, other infrastructure needs, and biodiversity obligations.
Further sessions will examine project pipeline requirements, including key issues such as grid connection readiness - with concern raised over capacity and the need for new and upgraded infrastructure - as well as planning and consenting challenges, strategies for community engagement, and environmental requirements.
We expect discussion on how coordination between network operators, central and local government and other infrastructure providers can support timely connections, including the use of grid assessment frameworks, implications of electricity market reform and alignment with the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan.
Policy developments & realising sector opportunities
We also expect discussion on how stakeholders and the sector as a whole can derive benefit from wider policy measures designed to streamline the planning process for energy infrastructure, including onshore wind projects, through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill - as well as aims to further the contribution of onshore wind in moving towards the Government’s target of achieving clean power by 2030.
Delegates will assess implications of the Government lifting the de facto ban on new onshore wind projects in England and reintroducing onshore wind projects above 100MW back into the NSIP regime, with concern from some that the lifting of the ban has not sparked an immediate resurgence in onshore wind in England.
We expect discussion on further concern from some that bringing onshore wind under the NSIP regime might overly centralise decision-making power, and the impact that setting the threshold at 100MW might have on ensuring sufficient consultation and decision-making at a local level.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates.
