Source · Select Committees · Energy Security and Net Zero Committee
Recommendation 39
39
Acknowledged
Weak guidance on onshore wind on deep peat undermines net zero and peatland protection.
Conclusion
Building renewable energy infrastructure on peatland is counterproductive to the achievement of net zero if this results in the release of accumulated carbon stores into the atmosphere. Given this context, and the Climate Change Committee’s recommendations for peatland restoration in the Seventh Carbon Budget, it is surprising that the Government’s proposed new guidance for onshore wind in EN-3 does not contain a presumption against building on deep peat, though we recognise that there are areas in which such development would be unavoidable. The weakness in the guidance also appears to undermine efforts of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to protect peatland. (Conclusion, Paragraph 95) 57
Government response summary AI-generated
The government acknowledges concerns about building wind farms on peatland but asserts that its draft guidance for onshore wind already includes specific protective provisions for peat, and existing planning system protections provide a balanced approach.
Government Response
The government responded to this report on 19 November 2025. No passage in that response could be matched to this conclusion. Read the response document ↗