Offshore wind farms to be allowed to apply for contracts before planning consent

Offshore wind farms will be able to apply for energy contracts while they are still waiting for full planning consent, the Government has announced.

The plans are part of a raft of reforms launched by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (Desnz) to help the Government reach its ambitious 2030 clean power targets.

Energy secretary Ed Miliband said changes to Contracts for Difference (CfD) rules will give developers “the certainty they need to build in Britain” and invest in more clean energy projects.

Auctions for the CfD scheme see developers bid to secure a fixed price contract for what they can charge for the renewable power they generate.

Market volatility

This system helps to protect them from market volatility, incentivising investment in new wind and solar farms.

Earlier this year, the Government launched a consultation on the flagship CfD scheme, including proposals to remove planning barriers.

It has now given the green light to changes to the scheme ahead of the next planned auction process, Allocation Round 7 (AR7), which is due to open in August.

Officials have said this will include increasing the length of contracts from 15 years to 20 years for offshore wind, onshore wind and solar projects.

Reduce costs

It said this is intended to spread out the costs of energy projects over a longer period and potentially reduce costs for consumers, while also improving investors confidence.

Changes will also include allowing offshore wind projects to apply for a contract while awaiting full planning consent, in a bid to reduce completion times.

The department will also change how budgets are set and published to allow the energy secretary to view developer bids before setting his final budget.

Mr Miliband said: “We need to go further and faster to make Britain a clean energy superpower, end our reliance on volatile global gas prices and make working people better off with homegrown power we control.

“These reforms will give developers the certainty they need to build in Britain, helping deliver more clean power projects and supporting thousands of jobs – all part of the mission to bring bills down for good through our plan for change.”