The Government has announced that onshore wind projects will be allowed to compete for contracts to generate clean power as a solution to meeting the net-zero emissions target at the lowest cost for consumers.

A new Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction will allow renewable sources like onshore wind and solar to compete for contracts which enable new projects to be financed – the first such auction since 2015.

The decision comes against the background of the Committee on Climate Change advice to the Government that the UK needs to quadruple the amount of power generated from renewables. As an example of the need to accelerate the programme, only one new onshore wind farm was completed in the UK last year.

Commenting on the decision RenewableUK’s chief executive Hugh McNeal said: ““The Government is pressing ahead with action to meet our net-zero emissions target quickly and at lowest cost to consumers and businesses. Backing cheap renewables is a clear example of the practical action to tackle climate change that the public is demanding, and this will speed up the transition to a net-zero economy. As one of the UK’s cheapest power sources, new onshore wind projects will be a huge boost for jobs and investment in local economies across the UK”.

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