Most renewable energy projects in the UK fail at the planning stage

Two-thirds of UK renewable energy project applications have failed to make it past the planning stage, according to a new study.

Between 2018 and 2023, 63% of new renewable energy schemes were either abandoned, refused, withdrawn or ultimately expired, according to Cornwall Insight’s Renewables Pipeline Tracker.

Their study shows that only 20% of projects remain in development that could lead to projects, so they are now in the “planning submitted”, “awaiting construction” or “under construction” phase.

While the total number of renewable energy applications has seen rapid growth, the approval rate remains low, with a trend towards “projects not going ahead”, say analysts at Cornwall Insight.

One possible reason for the low application success rate is an increasing number of speculative applications being submitted as developers submit multiple applications for the same sites.

Lucy DoltonAsset and Infrastructure Manager at Cornwall Insight:

“The UK has set ambitious targets to boost renewable energy capacity. These figures reveal a substantial shortfall in achieving these targets, which is largely driven by the slow pace of progress in implementing renewable energy projects.

“The total capacity of projects in the grid connection queue is currently well in excess of what is required for net zero generation capacity. However, given the lengthy process of developing projects through planning and obtaining grid connections, as well as the current volume of unsuccessful projects, the amount of this capacity that will eventually connect could be much lower than the project book suggests.”

She added:

“It is clear that an increasing number of applications submitted are speculative, increasing the number in the connection queue and creating hurdles for projects that are mostly ready to connect.

“It is positive to see the work being done in the industry to reform the connections process, addressing network congestion for both new projects and the existing connection queue. The scale of the challenge is significant, but timely and measured changes will be key to maintaining momentum in UK renewables deployment.”

More: https://www.cornwall-insight.com/