Onshore Wind Conference 2024 Programme

With a new UK Government and, for the first time, a UK-wide deployment target to 2030, the next twelve months will be critical for unlocking the unrivalled opportunities of onshore wind energy. We will need to restart an industry in England and build up a pipeline of supported projects, but crucially, we will address challenges and realise opportunities across the UK. From speeding up deployment in Scotland to support the Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal, to unlocking the grid in Wales, it is an exciting time to be in the onshore wind industry.

In this session we will cover:

• Reflections on the political landscape and the future of onshore wind in the UK's energy policy
• What we can look forward to as an industry in the short and long-term
• How we can unlock investment in the UK and encourage even greater benefits

Sponsored by Fred. Olsen Renewables

The Scottish and UK governments' ambitions to grow the onshore wind fleet come with a quid pro quo – with the sector expected to deliver for the supply chain and for communities.

With construction companies cherry-picking contracts, supply chain constraints and changing aspirations around community benefit, this is easier said than done.

In this session, you will learn:

• The challenges facing developers in meeting local content ambitions
• The changing expectations around socio-economic benefits and how developers can navigate these
• How the conversation is changing on community benefit and what this means for your project

Chair
Finley Becks-Phelps, UK Development Director, Fred. Olsen Renewables

Onshore wind has been commercially developed in the UK for more than 30 years. During that time, the industry has seen a great deal of technological innovation and improvements across the lifespan of development and operation.

As with all mature industries, operational challenges and opportunities inevitably exist, with increased pressure to be as efficient, effective and safe as possible.

In this session, we will cover:

• How we can address operational and logistical challenges, such as abnormal load transport
• How the onshore wind industry maintains high standards of health & safety and how we must look for continuous improvement
• Ways in which we can maximise the efficiency of assets and keep the onshore 

The grid issue has moved significantly up the political agenda over the last few years, and with Nick Winser’s recommendations signalling what is needed to build, the opportunity to start making progress is beginning to look real.

However, delivering will be challenging, and more needs to be done at a significant pace to achieve the rollout of onshore wind that we need.

In this session, you will learn:

• How grid plans can practically be delivered and how it will progress through the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP)
• About the network charging challenges and solutions faced by the sector
• Policy changes affecting grid enhancement and their likely impact on network availability
• Where we are with connections queue reform

Chair
Peter McCrory, Policy Manager, RenewableUK

Sponsored by Muirhall Energy

The climate and nature crises are inextricably linked, with onshore wind well-placed to offer solutions to both.

Biodiversity Net Gain is moving up the agenda, but guidance and tools are lagging behind policy. Biodiversity metrics, carbon calculators and guidance are all in development, but the current policy vacuum is throwing up challenges for developers.

In this session, you will learn:

• The changing biodiversity and peatland policy landscape, the implications for industry and the differences across the UK
• Proposals for measuring Biodiversity Net Gain and when we can expect them to be delivered
• How the Carbon Calculator is changing and what this means for your project
• Interactions between renewables and natural capital and the challenges this creates

Speakers
Kelly Wyness, Senior Project Manager, Muirhall Energy

Ensuring the delivery of 30GW of onshore wind by 2030 is a significant task that requires a vast array of skills, experience and engineering know-how. That’s where the supply chain comes in.

From Shetland to Wales, hundreds of companies across the UK are delivering and innovating solutions to the opportunities and challenges of developing onshore wind projects. They’re working hard to collaborate, upskill, innovate, expand and grow to offer optimum solutions to clients.

This session will showcase some of the UK’s capable and dedicated onshore wind suppliers and innovators through a series of short presentations. It will offer an insight into the inner workings of the businesses that are the boots on the ground when it comes to the engineering, procurement, construction, installation and operation of offshore wind projects.

In this session, businesses will cover:

• The opportunity or challenge they are seeking to address
• Their market solutions or products
• What they can offer to the industry
• How they can benefit the onshore wind industry

Chair
James Robottom, Head of Policy, RenewableUK

Speakers
Louise Downing, Founder, BizGive 
Dr Charlotte Stamper, Strategic Partnerships Manager, EMR

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

Ministerial Address
Dr Alasdair Allan MSP, Acting Minister for Climate Action

With the Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal research indicating a four-fold increase in the workforce, and the new UK government committed to an onshore wind renaissance across the rest of the UK, where will we find the skilled workers to fill these jobs?

Scotland is leading the way in workforce planning for onshore wind, so there is potential to model a just transition for others to follow.

In this session, you will learn:

• The key skills in short supply and the implications for industry
• What is being done through the Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal to meet the growing demand for skilled workers
• How industry can attract experienced professionals from other sectors

With challenging market conditions making it harder to reach final investment decision, there is a growing chorus of voices calling for CfDs to be refocused on maximising deployment. Meanwhile, the fear of REMA-driven market disruption continues to cast a shadow over investor confidence.

Just as we need to ramp up project deployment to meet our onshore wind ambitions, it feels like the financial headwinds are strengthening.

In this session, you will learn:

• What AR6 has delivered and the implications for industry
• What the experts are saying on CfD reform
• The latest on REMA and what happens next

Co-existence and collaboration between onshore wind developers and aviation stakeholders is essential to meeting ambitious onshore wind targets.

During this session, our expert panel from industry and Government will update us on the technical barriers to deployment and discuss the current guidelines available and where they see routes towards solutions. 

In this session, we will cover:

• What aviation objections are and why they appear throughout pre-construction development
• Aviation and radar: what fairness and transparency means for all stakeholders
• If the work on the Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal can be applied across the UK
• En-route aviation lighting and how we align safety with planning considerations
• Case studies on successful mitigation solutions

Chair
Heidi Douglas-Osborn, Senior Policy Analyst, RenewableUK

Sponsored by ERM

Let’s get real: the UK’s 30GW by 2030 ambition, and the Scottish Government’s ambition to deliver 20GW of it, won’t be achieved if projects aren’t consented faster and in more significant volumes than ever before.

With both national and local planning and consenting systems underfunded and struggling to recruit experienced staff, the ability to deliver at pace will be a challenge. Vastly improving the efficiency of the planning system through streamlined processes, shared resources and action on skills all offer glimmers of hope. It’s time for new thinking, innovation and swift action to up the pace.

In this session, you will learn:

• How the Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal is streamlining planning
• Changes in the Scottish Section 36 process catalysed by the Sector Deal and what this means for developers
• Changes expected to the English planning system and how this will impact onshore wind
• What can be done to fix resource bottlenecks in key agencies and stakeholder organisations
• About the key challenges developers are facing in securing consent and how these can be addressed