Two-thirds of green energy projects in Great Britain fail to clear planning stage | Energy industry
[ad_1]
Two-thirds of applications to build renewable energy projects in the UK have failed to get past the planning stage in the past five years, hampering efforts to switch to clean electricity generation.
A study of Britain’s “renewable energy pipeline” found that 63% of the projects discussed were either abandoned, refused planning permission, or had their application withdrawn or eventually lapsed between 2018 and 2023. The remaining applications have been approved or revised, according to research by consultancy Cornwall Insight.
Renewable energy developers have complained about the difficulties in getting planning permission for projects – from offshore wind farms to onshore solar and battery developments – and the waiting times to connect to Britain’s electricity grid more than a decade.
The study found that no region of the UK had a success rate higher than 20% of projects gaining planning permission. Cornwall Insight said “speculative and duplicative applications” were partly to blame, citing reports that “phantom” energy projects were holding back efforts to decarbonise the grid.
Last year a report commissioned by Centrica, the owner of British Gas, claims that some developers have applied to connect projects to the grid that don’t even have land rights or planning consent applications.
National Grid and Ofgem, the industry regulator, tried to do so remove “zombie projects” – those that are approved but have stopped developing – from the link queue. The problem is also blamed long delays in new housing schemes.
Lucy Dalton, asset and infrastructure manager at Cornwall Insight, said: “It is clear that an increasing number of applications are speculative, increasing the number in the connection queue and creating barriers to projects that are mostly connection-ready.”
The amount of electricity generated by gas and coal-fired power stations in the UK fell by 20% last year to its lowest level since 1957. Renewable energy provides the largest source of energy at 42%, although gas-fired power plants still account for 31%.
The Conservatives have set a target of decarbonising the electricity grid by 2035, while Labor is aiming for 2030. Both parties have promised to slash the planning regime if they win next month’s general election.
The Conservatives have promised to speed up the average time it takes to sign off on a major infrastructure project from four years to one year.
after the promotion of the newsletter
Labor said it would update planning policies and fund extra planning officers. The party made energy policy a central pillar of its election campaign. It has committed to created a state-owned company, Great British Energyand set targets to double onshore wind power, quadruple offshore wind power and triple solar power by 2030 in a bid to ultimately achieve the UK’s legally binding commitment to reach net zero by 2050.
However, the party was also accused of making “the mother of all U-turns” in February, abandoning a plan to invest £28 billion a year in green energy.
Dalton added: “The total capacity of projects in the grid connection queue currently well exceeds what is required for net zero generation capacity. However, given the lengthy process for progressing projects through planning and obtaining grid connections, and the current volume of projects that have failed, the amount of this capacity that will eventually be connected could be much higher. -lower than the project set suggests.”
Activists argue that allowing renewable development on a relatively small patch of additional land could make a significant difference. A study by Friends of the Earth and the University of Exeter this year found this England could produce 13 times more renewable energy than it does nowwhile using less than 3% of its land.
[ad_2]
