The UK’s onshore wind project pipeline has expanded by 4.2 gigawatts (GW) over the past year, bringing the total from 38.5GW to 42.7GW.
That’s according to a new report by RenewableUK, which suggests this increase is double the growth recorded in the previous year, which saw a rise of 1.5GW.
The report indicates that 4.2GW of onshore wind capacity could power nearly three million homes annually.
Currently, the UK has 15.5GW of onshore wind capacity in operation, sufficient to power 10.9 million homes.
This includes 594MW of new capacity that became operational in 2024.
Scotland holds 75% of the UK’s onshore wind pipeline, with operational capacity there reaching 10GW and an additional 630MW added in the past year.
If all projects in the pipeline are completed as planned, the UK could have up to 27.8GW of onshore wind capacity by 2030, including upgrades to older projects.
RenewableUK’s Head of Policy James Robottom said: “This year has proved to be a turning point for this industry. In March we reached a key milestone with 15GW of onshore wind capacity in operation, enabling us to hit 30GW of onshore and offshore wind combined last week, as SSE’s impressive Viking onshore wind farm went fully operational.
“And one of the new government’s first actions, when it came to power in July, was to lift the de facto ban on onshore wind projects in England after nearly a decade, as well as setting up the Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce to speed up the delivery of vital new clean energy capacity in all four UK nations.”
