UK pledges to streamline offshore wind approvals

Government aims for one-year approval process as it ramps up offshore wind targets as part of energy security strategy

The UK government has pledged to cut the time taken to grant approvals to offshore windfarms by more than half as it attempts to accelerate the sector’s expansion over the next decade. Planning reforms will aim to compress project consent timelines to one year, from up to four years currently, the government says in its energy security strategy. The government has raised its 2030 target for installed offshore wind capacity by 10GW to 50GW, including 5GW of floating technology.  This represents a 25pc acceleration in the rate of deployment. The renewed push for offshore wind, in which the UK has taken the lead in Europe with capacity of about 11GW and pipeline of 12GW, forms part of the UK’s