The milestone was reached at 7.30pm on 11 November, according to the National Energy System Operator (Neso), surpassing the previous record of 22.5GW set in December 2024.

Wind power made up 55.7% of the electricity mix at the time of the peak. Although not a record percentage share, it represented a significant shift in how Britain’s energy system performs during periods of high demand. Gas contributed just 12.5%, with imports providing 11.3% through subsea interconnectors. Nuclear and biomass each supplied 8%, while hydroelectric plants accounted for 1.4% and storage for 1.1%.

Britain now has around 32GW of installed wind capacity, split almost evenly between onshore and offshore sites. Five of the world’s largest offshore wind farms sit in UK waters. The government aims to double onshore wind and quadruple offshore capacity by 2030 as part of its transition to a clean-energy system.

Kayte O’Neill, Neso’s chief operating officer, said the performance demonstrated the progress made in renewable energy.

“This is a world-beating record, showing that our national grid can run safely and securely on large quantities of renewables generated right here in Britain,” she said. “We’ve come on leaps and bounds in recent years. It really shows what is possible and I look forward to seeing whether we can hit another clean-energy milestone: running Britain’s electricity grid entirely zero carbon.”

Despite the strong performance, high-wind days continue to pose challenges. Britain’s transmission network has struggled to transport electricity from remote wind farms to urban centres, forcing Neso to pay record sums to curtail wind generation and call on gas plants closer to demand. So far this year, the operator has spent nearly £1.3 billion managing these constraints.

However, the record-setting period on 11 November required only negligible curtailment. Neso spent just £4.73 switching off wind generation and £26.21 on replacement power during the half hour in which the peak was recorded, according to the Wasted Wind tracker.

Jane Cooper, deputy chief executive of Renewable UK, said the achievement highlighted wind power’s growing role in the energy system.

“On a cold, dark November evening, wind was generating enough electricity to power 80% of British homes when we needed it most,” she said. “This record is a clear example of wind taking its place at the heart of our clean energy system as we move away from volatile fossil fuel prices.”

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The 103-turbine project, developed by SSE, can generate up to 443 megawatts (MW) of electricity—enough to power nearly 500,000 homes. With Shetland being the windiest part of the UK, it’s expected that the turbines will rarely stand still.

Alistair Phillips-Davies, Chief Executive of SSE, emphasised the critical need for a rapid expansion of renewable energy infrastructure to meet the UK’s climate targets. “We need to do a lot more of these projects, a lot more offshore wind projects as well, to make sure that we can decarbonise the energy system,” he told BBC News, as he outlined SSE’s ambitious plans to invest £20 billion in renewables by the end of the decade.

However, not everyone is convinced. Critics argue that the expansion of windfarms and the necessary pylons to transmit electricity will industrialise vast areas of the British countryside for private profit. Viking’s electricity is transmitted via a £1 billion, 160-mile undersea cable to Noss Head on the Scottish mainland, and plans for further pylons are stirring opposition across Scotland and beyond.

Phillips-Davies described the renewable push as “the biggest construction that we’ve seen since the Second World War,” adding that Shetland’s exceptional wind resource makes it an ideal location for future large-scale wind projects. But while the Viking windfarm is a milestone for the UK’s green energy ambitions, it has sparked discontent among local communities.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband praised Viking as “a crucial part” of the UK’s strategy to reduce reliance on volatile fossil fuel markets and boost energy independence. The Labour government aims for all UK electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030, backed by a £8.3 billion investment in Great British Energy, a publicly-owned power company. But the Conservatives have criticised the initiative as a “financial black hole” that would subsidise wealthy energy firms.

Despite government pledges, residents of Shetland are frustrated. Moraig Lyall, chair of the environment and transport committee of Shetland Islands Council, pointed out that households in Shetland often face energy bills more than double the UK average of £1,700 per year. “People look out their windows now, they see all these turbines that are generating lots and lots of energy, but they’re not seeing the benefit here,” Lyall said, highlighting concerns over the impact on the landscape and peat bogs, as well as tourism.

On the mainland, opposition is also growing. Kate Matthews of Save Our Mearns, a campaign group in Aberdeenshire, warned of the long-term impact of new pylons required to connect renewable projects to the grid. “Angus and Aberdeenshire are looking at 10 to 20 years of industrialisation,” Matthews said. “We’ll be paying the price for generations. It will be unrecognisable.”

SSE’s Phillips-Davies argues that streamlined planning processes are crucial for accelerating the transition to renewable energy. Highlighting the lengthy development timeline of Viking, which took 20 years from conception to completion, he called on both UK and Scottish governments to reform planning laws to enable decisions within 12 months. He cited delays like the Berwick Bank offshore windfarm, awaiting approval for nearly two years, as examples of bottlenecks that must be addressed.

But while the renewables sector pushes for faster growth, the oil and gas industry is voicing its concerns. In Aberdeen, the heart of the UK’s oil and gas industry, there are fears that the rapid shift to green energy could put jobs at risk. David Whitehouse, CEO of Offshore Energies UK, warned that the removal of tax breaks and high tax rates on producers, including a 78% windfall tax, could trigger a “shutdown of investment” with severe consequences for the supply chain and employment.

Steve Bowyer, North Sea general manager of EnQuest, echoed these concerns, urging the government to provide a stable fiscal environment to support ongoing investment. “We actually want to grow in the UK but we need the right fiscal conditions to drive that growth,” Bowyer said, stressing the need for collaboration and engagement with industry.

The UK government insists it will protect North Sea jobs while ensuring a smooth transition to renewables, but balancing the competing pressures from the oil industry and the green energy sector remains a significant challenge. As the nation races towards a greener future, the road ahead is marked by both opportunity and opposition.

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The changes, outlined in draft planning documents from the Housing, Communities and Local Government department, are designed to accelerate the UK’s transition to green energy and meet net zero targets.

Under the revised National Planning Policy Framework, local authorities must actively support projects that contribute to renewable and low-carbon energy production. This shift means councils that reject such proposals will face the risk of expensive legal appeals, which developers are likely to win, making it increasingly difficult for local authorities to block these developments.

The changes come on the heels of Scotland’s recent approval of the tallest wind turbines in the UK, standing over 823 feet tall, and Labour’s decision to lift the ban on onshore wind farms in England. The new rules will require councils to identify suitable areas for renewable energy projects within their local plans and will expand their responsibility to approve projects generating up to 100 megawatts—double the current limit.

While the guidelines still allow councillors on planning committees to refuse projects, any rejections are expected to be challenged and likely overturned on appeal. This initiative is part of a broader effort to remove bottlenecks in the approval process, which previously required national oversight for projects exceeding 50 megawatts.

Angela Rayner’s planning overhaul is expected to pave the way for large-scale wind farm developments across England, similar to those already seen in Scotland and Wales, but with the potential for much larger machines than previously used.

A spokesman for Rayner emphasised the importance of community engagement in the rollout of renewable projects, ensuring that local areas benefit from hosting such infrastructure. However, legal experts, such as Mustafa Latif-Aramesh of BDB Pitmans, noted that these changes would make it significantly harder for councils to reject wind and solar proposals, thereby reinforcing the UK’s energy resilience.

Advocacy groups like Britain Remade argue that the government should go even further in loosening planning restrictions, suggesting that vast areas of the English countryside should be automatically deemed suitable for renewable energy projects to streamline the approval process. They propose prioritising sites near grid connections, population centres, and on lower-grade farmland, with Lincolnshire identified as a prime example.

Despite the push for renewable energy, certain areas, including national parks and sites of special scientific interest, will retain protections against large-scale developments. Organisations such as Natural England are working to expand these protected areas to safeguard vulnerable landscapes from the anticipated surge in renewable energy projects.

Environmental groups, while supportive of the transition to green energy, have called for careful consideration of the impact on landscapes and wildlife. Kathryn Brown of The Wildlife Trusts stressed the need to build renewable infrastructure in a way that avoids unnecessary harm to nature, reflecting a broader sentiment that the pursuit of net zero must be balanced with environmental preservation.

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Speaking at an event hosted by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Jackson described it as “crazy” that electricity prices remain uniform across the UK.

Octopus Energy already offers discounted bills for those residing near wind farms, which has generated significant local interest in wind farm construction. Jackson noted that residents near turbines receive a 20% discount when it’s windy and a 50% discount during very windy conditions. These discounts are currently available to customers in Caerphilly, South Wales, and Halifax and Weighton in Yorkshire.

The announcement comes as new Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled plans to boost onshore wind farms, aiming to expedite national infrastructure projects. In her first speech as chancellor, Reeves committed to overhauling planning restrictions and ending the effective ban on onshore wind farms in England imposed by the previous government.

Jackson highlighted that Octopus Energy has received interest from 30,000 individuals and communities across the UK since 2021, requesting the construction of turbines near them. He emphasised the need for market reform, suggesting that using locally generated electricity more efficiently could delay or even negate the need for new transmission lines.

Analysis by the think tank Carbon Tracker has shown that wasted wind power added approximately £40 to household energy costs in 2023. This waste occurs because the grid cannot handle excess power generated during windy conditions, leading to payments for wind farms to switch off, while gas-powered stations are paid to operate, or electricity is imported, with costs passed on to consumers.

Jackson criticised this situation, arguing that instead of paying Scottish wind farms to shut down during windy periods, the local population should benefit from cheaper or even free electricity. He highlighted that this approach could stimulate investment in battery infrastructure in regions like the South East, addressing energy shortages more efficiently.

According to Jackson, regional pricing could reduce costs nationwide by eliminating waste. He pointed out that if energy users such as data centres moved to Scotland, they would benefit from some of the cheapest electricity in Europe.

Jackson called on policymakers, the energy sector, and large energy users to collaborate on creating mechanisms to foster innovation and reduce costs for everyone.

In her address, Reeves acknowledged potential opposition to her infrastructure plans but stressed the importance of recognising the trade-offs involved in accelerating the development of onshore wind projects. She vowed to overturn restrictive rules from 2015 that allowed a small number of objections to block new onshore wind projects, aiming to pave the way for the construction of hundreds of new turbines.

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Results showed no bids for new offshore wind farms, but there were deals for solar, tidal and onshore wind projects.

Firms have argued the price set for electricity generated was too low to make offshore wind projects viable.

The government said a “global rise” in inflation impacting supply chains had “presented challenges for projects”.

It said while offshore and floating offshore wind projects did not feature on the agreed deals list, the outcome was “in line with similar results in countries including Germany and Spain”.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said “significant numbers” of solar power, onshore wind, tidal energy schemes, and for the first time, geothermal projects, which use heat from the ground to generate power, had been awarded funding.

But the lack of offshore wind will be a blow to the pledge to deliver 50 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030 compared with 14GW today.

Renewable energy groups have said that alternative renewable projects, such as solar, cannot do the heavy lifting in generating the power that offshore wind does.

The technology has been described as the “jewel in the UK’s renewable energy crown”, but firms have been hit by higher costs for building offshore farms, with materials such as steel and labour being more expensive.

The UK is a world leader in offshore wind and is home to the world’s four largest farms, supporting tens of thousands of jobs, which provided 13.8% of the UK’s electricity generation last year, according to government statistics.

The government’s annual auction invites companies to bid to develop renewable energy projects and contracts to supply the UK grid with electricity. The scheme ensures projects receive a guaranteed price from the government for the electricity they will generate, which it is hoped will enable companies to have the confidence to invest.

The deal, called a Contract for Difference (CFD), means if electricity prices are above the price set, the companies pay the excess back to energy suppliers, which should help to cut bills. If prices fall below the guaranteed price the energy suppliers – and customers – pay the company the difference.

It was hoped offshore wind in the latest round could have helped generate five gigawatts of power, enough to run five million homes, but wind farm builders had warned for months that the government was not taking into account how much the costs of developing them had soared.

Industry insiders have said that the £44 per megawatt hour price floor set for the latest auction failed to take account of higher costs.

‘Lost opportunity’

Keith Anderson, chief executive of Scottish Power, said the outcome of the auction was a “multi-billion pound lost opportunity to deliver low-cost energy for consumers and a wake-up call for government”.

He said the contracts had been “recognised globally as a lynchpin of the UK’s offshore success”, but said “the economics simply did not stand up this time around”.

“We need to get back on track and consider how we unlock the billions of investment in what is still one of the cheapest ways to generate power and meet the UK’s long-term offshore wind ambitions for the future,” he added.

Alistair Phillips-Davies, chief executive of SSE, which is currently building the world’s largest offshore wind farm, said offshore wind power was a much cheaper energy source and about half the price compared with other sources including fossil fuels.

But he told the BBC’s Today programme that while the UK needed to build more wind farms, “for this particular auction unfortunately the prices were just set too low” for electricity generated to make investment viable.

On Friday, wholesale gas prices in the UK rose by about 10% after strike action kicked off at two major liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Australia.

Ed Miliband, Labour’s shadow energy security and net zero secretary, said the result of the auction was an “absolute disaster for Britain”, but should have been avoidable. He argued the government had been warned by the industry that “unless they adjusted the auction price this would happen”.

“They [the government] should be hanging their heads in shame,” he told the BBC’s Today programme.

While there were no bids for offshore contracts, the government said a total of 95 clean energy projects had secured funding of £227m, up from 93 in the previous auction, securing “enough to power the equivalent of two million homes”.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Graham Stuart said the government was “delighted” that the auction had “seen a record number of successful projects across solar, onshore wind, tidal power and, for the first time, geo-thermal”.

He added that offshore wind was “central to our ambitions to decarbonise our electricity supply”, and said the government would “work with industry to make sure we retain our global leadership in this vital technology”.

Speaking about the news, Rob Hunter, CEO of www.IGNE.com, said: “A hugely disappointing outcome for the renewable energy industry and the prospect of bringing in much needed cleaner energy to the UK. The seemingly negative short-term approach to the cost has set back the UK’s renewables ambitions; against a backdrop where we need to be less reliant on bringing in our energy from overseas. This has to be a wake-up call moment. The technology is in place with a sector that is highly skilled and ready to deliver.  We need all parties to come together to find a solution”.

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The farm would be spread across two commercial forestry areas in Liddesdale and the energy company behind the scheme said it could power up to 231,000 homes.

EDF Renewables UK also said it could bring hundreds of thousands of pounds in community funding to the area.

A scoping report is being submitted to Scottish Borders Council this week.

The wind farm within Wauchope Forest and Newcastleton Forest could consist of up to 80 wind turbines, battery energy storage and a solar onsite system.

Andrew Bennett, development project manager at EDF, said that plans were at an early-stage.

“The submission of the scoping report to Scottish Borders Council is an important initial milestone for the project – allowing us to begin robust and detailed conversations with the local community on our proposal,” he said.

“There will be multiple opportunities for the community to view, comment and provide feedback on the proposals as they develop.”

Mr Bennett said he hoped the company could develop a proposal that would help support Scotland’s renewable energy targets.

Scotland is aiming to generate half of its energy through renewable sources by 2030 and wants to be completely decarbonised by 2050.

The Scottish government recently missed its target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, in part because the power generated from renewables fell as there was less wind.

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The initiative, a partnership between Community Windpower and Dalry Parish Boundary Trust, will be managed by Advice Direct Scotland and is open to anyone in the area who is struggling to pay their energy bills.

The grants, which will be supported directly by Community Windpower’s onshore wind farm in the region, will be available to households in the relevant KA24 postcodes and will prioritise those with children living in poverty, people with cancer, pensioners and households that use a large amount of energy to power medical equipment.

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The turbine, referred to as a “turbine in a box,” has won an environmental award and is the first step in taking HMS Eaglet “off the grid.”

The turbine is expected to generate its own electricity and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, saving thousands of pounds a year.

The building, located at Brunswick Dock, is home to the Navy’s Regional Commander for the North-West and staff, as well as the area’s Royal Navy and Royal Marines Reserves among 15 sub-units.

The wind-powered microgrid, positioned on the roof of Eaglet, is developed by Hover Energy.

The system can generate up to 100,000kWh of electricity a year and can store and “combine” renewable electricity with power from the main grid simultaneously.

Other energy-saving measures introduced in the building include “air to air” source heating, “air-to-water” heat pumps, energy-efficient controls, heat reclaim to the ventilation system, heat pumps throughout the building to heat/cool it, LED lights activated by motion sensors, and improved insulation.

Eaglet was built in the 1990s, and the building needed upgrading, as the Navy strives for net zero emissions and reduced reliance on fossil fuels.

The wind turbine and air source heat pumps have reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 17 and 9 tonnes a year respectively, generating nearly two-thirds of the energy the site consumes.

The initiatives will save taxpayers money and provide energy security at the MOD site, said Colonel Mark Underhill of NW RFCA.

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This split was embodied earlier in the year by the cabinet of the UK government who clashed over the relaxation of wind farm planning laws in the UK. This was an attempt to reduce reliance on Russia for energy supplies in light of their war in Ukraine.

With now more than 11,000 onshore and offshore turbines in the UK and as the country remains committed to a 68% reduction in emissions by 2030 in line with Cop26, it’s clear that wind power isn’t going anywhere.

With some insights from Northern Powergrid, we look at some of the country’s leading wind farm developments and why the answer to the UK’s sustainability question is blowing in the wind.

The UK – A World-Leading Wind Power

From its days as a seafaring super-nation, the UK has always harnessed the power of the elements. As statistically Europe’s gustiest country, it’s no surprise that the country has a higher offshore wind capacity than any other nation, with almost 11GW generated of the world’s current 35GW capacity.

According to BloombergNEF, the world’s cumulative capacity can surpass the 200GW mark. The UK, as an island nation in the consistently windy zone of Northwest Europe, can retain its top spot. The country is currently home to seven of the world’s 10 biggest wind farm sites.

As the world continues to move to its green-powered future, we outline five of the UK’s key wind projects.

1.    Hornsea Wind Farm

Located 120km off England’s North Yorkshire coast, the Hornsea 1 farm is currently the world’s largest operational wind project. The farm encompasses 174 mw wind turbines and spans an area of over 407 square km, powering over one million homes with green electricity. The site is maintained inland in an east coast hub in Grimsby, which supports a workforce of more than 370 people.

The success of the project has led to further investment in the Humberside area with the commissioning of Hornsea 2 in 2020. Two further Hornsea projects are expected as the UK ramps up plans to go carbon neutral.

2.    Shetland Wind Farm

Typically, offshore wind is more powerful and consistent than onshore wind yet that doesn’t mean onshore can’t play its part in the UK’s net zero future. One of the industry’s biggest players, SSE renewables, intends to build the UK’s biggest onshore wind farm on the Shetland isles with plans to open the £580million development by 2025. The proposed plant would harness 103 turbines and would replace Shetland’s current power station, helping to decarbonise Scotland’s electricity.

3.    Dogger Bank Wind Farm

Since 2012, electricity costs from offshore wind have fallen by 66%, meaning building offshore wind farms are not only more environmentally friendly, but a cheaper alternative to fossil fuel power plants. One such development is the Dogger Bank complex which is a group of offshore wind farms off the east coast of Yorkshire. The three sites A, B and C will collectively become the world’s largest wind farm, with an installed capacity of up to 3.6GW. Dogger Bank A, its first phase, plans to become operational in 2023.

4.    Walney Wind Farm

The UK boasts some of the best offshore wind speeds in Europe coupled with large stretches of shallow seabed which make it easy to install wind turbines. Opened in 2018, the Walney extension is based 19km off the Walney Island coast in Cumbria. The project is installed with 87 turbines and its generator connection provides power to roughly 600,000 British homes following investment from Orsted and Danish pension funds PFA and PKA.

5.    Floating Offshore Wind Farm Erebus

Studies show that as much as 50GW of green electricity could be available from the Celtic Sea Waters of the UK and Ireland. The Blue Gem Wind group are making inroads into this market with the first floating wind project in the area. A floating wind turbine is an offshore construction mounted on a floating structure that allows for electricity generation in greater water depths where foundations fixed to seabeds are simply not feasible. Reportedly, over 80% of the world’s global wind resources are in water deeper than 60 metres, which makes this a key development for the future.

In summary, the UK has capitalised on its natural weather conditions to become a world-leading nation in wind power and is cementing its place with a number of new developments. With this infrastructure in place, the UK can stay at the vanguard of wind technology and on track to hit its emission reduction targets. Offshore wind can form the backbone of the country’s modern clean, green energy system.

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