Welsh wind power pipeline 2024

RenewableUK EnergyPulse report - November 2024

Executive summary

The report provides market insight into the Welsh onshore and offshore wind sectors and is an update to the 'Critical role of Welsh wind power' report published in 2023.​

The first part of the report consists of analysis and forecasts of onshore and offshore wind projects within Wales and its territorial waters. The second part of the report, focusing on supply chain opportunity, expands the analysis to include offshore wind projects in close proximity to Welsh territorial waters, in the English area of the Irish Sea and the English region of the Celtic Sea. The additional, yet to be built, projects have been selected for inclusion based on their proximity to Welsh ports.​

A detailed description of the EnergyPulse methodology is at the end of this report. Data is as researched to 6th November 2024.

Foreword by Jess Hooper, Director of RenewableUK Cymru

RenewableUK Cymru's latest snapshot shows that while Wales expanded its wind energy pipeline to over 10GW, meeting the Welsh Government’s target of 100% renewable electricity by 2035 still requires faster action and closer support from both Welsh and UK governments. Recent grid reform plans in the NESO 2030 Clean Power report to move to a more secure and cost-effective energy system offer a promising path to speed up progress for onshore wind delivery—provided we act now to address the short- and medium-term resource shortages in planning.​

With the right level of investment in our ports and a robust industrial strategy to secure thousands of jobs in Wales, offshore wind could become a strong contributor to our clean energy future by 2035. But it is clear from the data that our immediate opportunity is in onshore wind, where we could achieve just over 3GW capacity by resolving delays in planning and expanding grid capacity. The report highlights the need for Wales to quadruple its high-speed, high voltage electricity grid transmission capacity by 2035 to meet this increased demand.​

While planning timelines have improved slightly, large onshore projects, such as the Garn Fach wind farm, are still facing delays of over two years. Without timely planning decisions, Welsh projects are at a disadvantage in securing vital funding through the UK Government’s clean energy auctions (Contracts for Difference), which provide financial certainty for developers. In the 2024 Auction Round 6, Welsh projects secured less than 2% of the UK total. At this rate, the Welsh wind portfolio is forecast to make up only 5% of the UK's total capacity by 2035—a stark contrast to Scotland’s projected 64 GW and the billions in economic growth and investment this offers.​

Acting now is essential to turning potential into progress. By investing in grid capacity and boosting planning resources, Wales can make wind energy the cornerstone of its clean energy future, transforming ambitious renewable targets into real, impactful achievements for the climate, our economy and our communities.

This EnergyPulse report represents a snapshot of the interactive and daily-updated RenewableUK EnergyPulse database, available to RenewableUK members for free. Within the database, discover comprehensive and accurate renewable energy data, forecasts, and dashboards.