Our key priorities

 The industry’s principal concern continues to be the effective ban on further Scottish onshore wind capacity beyond 2030 that was implemented through the Clean Power Action Plan (CPAP) and associated Connections Reform, and the implications this has for investment, delivery, and overall confidence in the sector. 

Given delays to the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) timeline, there may be an argument for NESO and the UK government to review the capacity targets for Scottish onshore wind post-2030 before the publication of the SSEP in 2027, especially as some floating and fixed-bottom offshore wind projects have been delayed or abandoned putting targets at risk.

 It is critical that a more technology-agnostic and flexible approach within the SSEP is adopted than in the CPAP. It must be backed by transparent and holistic analysis, to ensure that overall cost to consumer is minimised, avoid over reliance on less-proven technologies and ensure project attrition and non-delivery is properly accounted for as part of strategic planning. 

Overly prescriptive pathways and imposing hard caps at the same level as capacity targets risks material under-delivery and stalled investment at a time when flexibility and optionality will be critical to delivery and reducing costs.