UK wind power capacity surpasses 30GW

Ending the week on a positive note for climate action, the total operational capacity of combined onshore and offshore wind in the UK now stands at 30,299 MW, according to the industry’s market intelligence service, EnergyPulse. The opening of SSE Renewables’ Viking Wind Farm on the Shetland Islands yesterday increased the country’s capacity by 443MW, enough to meet the annual power needs of more than 26mn homes and cut carbon emissions by more than 35mn tonnes a year. 

Renewables provided a record 46.4% of the UK’s electricity in 2023, according to the latest statistics published by the Government in July, with wind remaining the biggest source of clean power. Combined onshore and offshore wind power generated a record 28.1% of total electricity last year in the UK, whilst accounting for more than 60% of electricity generated from renewable sources.  

Viking Wind Farm took around 15 years to develop, at a cost of approximately £1.2bn in private investment, and will provide energy for households roughly equivalent to a city the size of Birmingham. Consisting of 103 turbines, it will harness Shetland’s exceptionally strong wind resource and will deliver renewable energy to the grid via a 260km High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) subsea cable. Scotland already produces almost half of the UK’s wind power, and due to Shetland’s wind conditions, Viking will be the UK’s most productive onshore wind farm in terms of annual electricity output.  

Commenting on the milestone, RenewableUK’s Executive Director of Policy & Engagement Ana Musat said: 

“It took 26 years to install the first 15GW of wind energy in the UK, so to double that to 30GW in just seven years represents a tremendous success for the industry. As the latest record-breaking figures from the Government show, wind is the backbone of our future energy system and a key driver of our transition away from expensive and volatile fossil fuels to become a clean energy superpower. 

“Our research also shows doubling the UK’s onshore wind capacity by the end of the decade would boost the economy by £45 billion and create 27,000 jobs, whilst moving to an electricity system dominated by offshore wind by 2035 would leave consumers around £68 a year better off.” 

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