SNP putting 'thousands of jobs at risk' with failure to triple Scotland's onshore wind capacity

SNP ministers have been urged to draw up plans to triple Scotland’s onshore wind capacity by 2040 - with the industry warning it would support thousands of jobs and add billions to the economy. The potentially controversial move could see more than 1,000 new wind farms built across Scotland’s countryside over the next 14 years. Scotland currently has 360 operational onshore wind farms with more than 4,000 turbines in operation. With plans to treble capacity from 10GW to 30GW potentially leading to an additional 1,000 developments being prioritised and supported by SNP ministers.

SNP ministers, who have not published a full energy strategy in nine years, have set a target to deploy 20GW of onshore wind by 2030. Whilst the Scottish government has pledged to ramp up offshore wind capacity tenfold to 40GW of capacity by 2040, no such commitment has been made for onshore wind beyond 2030. The industry has warned that a risk of failing to set out a long-term strategy for onshore wind risks undermining investment, supply chain growth and future energy planning.

Now, the Scottish Onshore Wind Developers Forum (SOWDF) is calling on the Scottish government to set out an intention to ramp up onshore wind capacity, which has the potential to receive a backlash from communities if benefits are not seen at a local level. New research from BiGGAR Economics has revealed that hitting 30GW of onshore wind capacity by 2040 would deliver at least £4 billion to the Scottish economy and support more than 6,000 jobs in Scotland between 2034 and 2040 across development, construction and operation.

The industry has stressed that scaling up onshore wind would potentially generate an additional £44 million paid into community benefits annually by 2040, and £88 million paid in additional business rates. SOWDF has argued that an ambition of at least 30GW by 2040 would give developers, investors and communities the certainty needed to deliver new projects, repower existing sites and maintain Scotland’s position as a world leading hub for renewable energy.

Chair of the Scottish Onshore Wind Developers Forum and head of development at Cubico Sustainable Investments, Rosie Vetter, said: “Scotland’s onshore wind industry has been one of the country’s great economic success stories, delivering clean power at scale. “However, the current low ambition after 2030 risks preventing the deployment of one of the quickest and cheapest renewable technologies that can support the UK’s energy security.”

She added: “We have been encouraged by the recent comments from energy minister Stephen Gethins that Holyrood’s 20GW by 2030 onshore wind deployment target ‘must be a milestone rather than an end point’ as we look ahead to the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan being finalised later this year. “Setting an ambition of at least 30GW by 2040 would send a powerful signal that Scotland intends to remain at the forefront of the clean energy transition by maximising its renewable potential.”

Simon Cleary, energy transition director at BiGGAR Economics, added that “capping this sector after 2030 would put thousands of jobs at risk”. Mr Gethins said: “Onshore wind is one of the cheapest and quickest to deploy sources of electricity and it will remain central to Scotland’s energy future well beyond 2030. “Deployment after 2030 will be shaped by UK government decisions, including the strategic spatial energy plan, grid connections and price support mechanisms.

“We are pressing the UK government to make full use of Scotland’s vast renewable resources and will continue to work closely with the sector as those decisions are taken.”