Onshore Wind Conference 2025 Programme

With ambitious clean power targets in place for 2030, onshore wind is back on the UK Government’s national agenda. Two years on from the signing of the Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal, a year since the de facto ban was lifted in England and a few months after the publication of the Onshore Wind Industry Strategy, where are we now and how do we build on this momentum?

This session takes stock of onshore wind achievements to date and offers a forward-looking view of the sector’s direction. Recognising the renewed political will and strong industry ambition, while acknowledging the ongoing challenges around the pace of growth, supply chain readiness and the need for increased investment.

In this session, we will cover:

• What’s needed to scale-up deployment and turn our onshore wind ambitions into reality
• The opportunity presented by current political momentum and how industry can capitalise on this
• The Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal and the progress it has enabled in the past two years
• How the Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce’s recommendations can be translated into tangible actions and long-term delivery outcomes
• The implications of a delayed procurement round and how the sector can sustain momentum 

With the UK’s onshore wind ambitions growing and national deployment targets fast approaching, the sector is at a critical moment with rising capital costs, inflationary pressures and policy uncertainty meaning final investment decisions are becoming even more challenging.

While the sector awaits clarity on zonal pricing and the Allocation Round 7 (AR7) auction structure, ongoing uncertainty around the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) and a potential shift towards a more centralised planning framework continue to cloud long-term market signals.

In this session, we will cover:

• What implications zonal pricing and changes to AR7’s auction design will have on the sector
• The outlook of Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) charges and the impact of this on the investment environment
• How the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) and regional capacity limits could shape investment decisions and market signals

The twin crises of climate and nature require strong, integrated solutions and onshore wind has a long track record of delivering for both. However, current projects seeking consent must navigate a changing policy landscape. As developers await clarity from government, they are required to provide biodiversity net gain in the absence of a Scottish Biodiversity Metric, an updated carbon calculator and guidance on Environmental Outcome Reports.

In this session, you will learn:

• How the policy landscape for Environmental Impact Assessments and Environment Outcome Reports is changing and what this means across the UK
• How biodiversity and peatland restoration requirements are changing and the implications for the sector
• What experts are saying about protecting natural heritage and how it could affect onshore wind targets

Sponsored by Fred. Olsen Renewables

Communities have made it clear that renewable energy developers must demonstrate the socio-economic benefits of projects. Both the Scottish and UK governments have taken note and are increasing pressure on the sector to show how these benefits are being delivered.

Work is under way to make the long-standing benefits of onshore wind more visible and tangible to stakeholders, to build on what has been achieved to date and maximise the sector's positive impact.

In this session, you will learn:

• How industry is navigating the requirement to maximise socio-economic benefit and how you can apply these approaches to your project
• How the conversation is changing on community benefit and shared ownership and how industry is responding
• What the experts are saying about shared ownership and what it would take to turn offers into agreements

As the UK’s onshore wind farms mature, repowering, decommissioning and extending the lifetime of projects is becoming more of a priority for the sector. While the potential benefits of sustaining generation capacity and maintaining grid connections are clear, key commercial, technical and regulatory questions remain unresolved.

This session will feature a series of short, explanatory presentations followed by a focused discussion that explores the key decisions facing project owners and policymakers, drawing on experiences from Europe and examining opportunities for circular economy principles.

In this session, we will explore:

• What commercial and regulatory steps are required to extend the lifetime of projects and repower onshore wind farms
• Key lessons the UK can learn from European examples of life extension and repowering onshore wind
• The opportunities and challenges of embedding circular economy principles in practice

To realise the UK’s clean energy potential and position the country as a global leader, a strong and resilient supply chain is essential. Across the country, suppliers are rising to the challenge. This session highlights the capabilities of onshore wind suppliers through a series of concise, focused presentations. Hear directly from the businesses delivering real-world solutions and driving progress in the development of onshore wind.

In this session, businesses will outline:

• Their solutions to a key industry challenge
• A market-ready innovation or product they offer
• Their contribution to improving the sector’s efficiency and growth

All delegates, exhibitors and speakers are welcome to join this drinks reception in the exhibition hall at the end of day one.

Big changes to the planning system are headed our way but they need to speed up determination timelines to achieve the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan’s target of 27-29GW of onshore wind by 2030.

Despite increased capacity, the Scottish planning system is struggling to handle the volume of onshore wind and grid proposals. The UK Government is getting back in the game after a ten-year hiatus and needs to make big fixes to the planning system to achieve its onshore wind ambitions for England and Wales.

In this session we will cover:

• How the Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal is streamlining Scottish planning
• The changes to planning in England and Wales to achieve a new era of onshore wind
• How the Planning and Infrastructure Bill and the upcoming Energy Independence Bill will change planning and the Electricity Act (1989)
• What’s needed to fix resource bottlenecks in key agencies and stakeholder organisations
• The key consenting challenges facing developers and how these can be addressed

Both the Scottish and UK governments have identified the need to invest in the economy so that the move to a home-grown clean energy system is fair for everyone, especially workers and communities affected by the changes. With research for the Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal indicating a four-fold increase in the workforce and a UK Government industrial strategy being released, will we be able to fill the demand for local jobs and local content?

Scotland is leading the way in workforce planning for onshore wind, serving as a model for the UK Government to follow. Will it be enough?

In this session, you will learn:

• How the sector is increasing investment in the local supply chains and what you can do to support this on your projects
• How developers are reporting on local content to demonstrate the economic value of onshore wind to local communities and the UK
• How the Scottish and UK governments are working to meet the growing demand for skilled workers
• The ways that the industry can attract experienced professionals from other sectors

As the UK seeks to significantly scale up its onshore wind capacity, resolving long-standing technical barriers, such as aviation objections and logistical challenges, must be addressed through coordinated, cross-sector action to avoid delays in deployment.

This session will feature a series of short, focused presentations offering the latest developments, practical solutions and policy perspectives helping unlock the barriers to growth.

This session will explore:

• What good engagement with aviation stakeholders looks like and how to make full use of existing guidance
• The latest developments related to the Eskdalemuir Seismic Array and the ongoing work of the Eskdalemuir Working Group
• Strategies to manage abnormal loads and transport logistics amid growing turbine sizes

Sponsored by SmartestEnergy

Just as the policy environment has never been more supportive of onshore wind, strengthening financial headwinds are making it harder than ever to reach a final investment decision (FID).

Building on the discussion around reaching FID in day one, this panel will consider the alternatives to financing onshore wind projects and examine the lessons learned from what developers have been doing to date.

In this session we will cover:

• What the PPA market looks like today
• How the PPA market is impacting the ability of onshore wind projects
• Examples of different financing opportunities and what we can learn from them

While industry stakeholders recognise the scale of opportunity and the barriers holding progress back, there is often less clarity about where the sector currently stands. This session takes stock of the current landscape and what’s coming down the pipeline, offering a comprehensive update on the market across the UK. We will share portfolio insights from both public and private developers to provide a clear picture of regional markets, highlight gaps in the pipeline and supply chains and identify key opportunities to support the sector’s growth.

In this session, we will cover:

• An up-to-date overview of the current onshore wind portfolio across the UK and what projects are in the pipeline
• Insight into supply chain gaps and opportunities to accelerate sector growth
• Perspectives on how public and private stakeholders are navigating market conditions to drive deployment

No grid connection means no project and after years of industry demanding change, the UK and Scottish governments have finally grasped the nettle. Grid reinforcements have been authorised, the connection queue has been reformed and grid consenting accelerated, all to deliver the connections we need.

But the new certainty is just emerging and it only extends to 2030. With the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) not due until 2027, what happens beyond 2030 is far from clear.

In this session, you will learn:

• How the connections queue reforms are playing out in practice and the implications for industry
• The impact of the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan on connections reform and what this means for your projects
• The latest on the SSEP and its expected impact on project connections post-2030