Recommendation 19

We are encouraged that the Government has now included one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy—onshore wind—in Contracts for Difference auctions and will consult on proposed changes to national planning policy to relax the de facto prohibition that has existed for the technology since 2015. We welcome these moves, while recognising that constraints remain. We recommend that the Government’s proposals establish clear guidelines to provide benefits for local communities in areas that accept onshore wind farms, including potentially reduced electricity bills. The Government should also set a clear ambition to expand its generating capacity from onshore wind by 2035 in line with the goals it has set for other technologies in the British Energy Security Strategy.