Next Government Urged To Cut Offshore Wind Planning Delays

The next government needs to step in to fix delays in approving offshore wind projects across the UK.

The Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) released a report today, authored by Aeos and Deloitte, highlighting persistent challenges in the UK’s offshore wind project consenting process. Consultancy findings reveal that recent planning reforms have only marginally reduced consent times, necessitating more strategic interventions to achieve substantial improvements.

The report emphasises that simply changing laws will not be enough – coordinated efforts led by the Cabinet Office and Number 10 Policy Unit across government departments and devolved administrations are essential for success. Titled “Policy and Legislative Barriers to Consenting Offshore Wind,” the report identifies four critical areas -marine spatial planning, seabed leasing, electricity grid planning, and financial support mechanisms – that need alignment to streamline offshore wind development.

Proposed measures include defining a long-term energy mix, developing a National Grid spatial plan aligned with future electricity generation needs, ensuring robust marine spatial planning for seabed leasing and aligning financial mechanisms with project pipelines.

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