Rebalancing of Scottish wind ‘could save £5bn a year’

A ‘rebalancing’ of planned wind projects in Scotland could deliver a lower-cost energy system and accelerate progress towards energy security, according to a new report.

The report found that increasing deployment of Scottish onshore wind would reduce average total system costs by up to 6% between 2030 and 2050, driven by a 21% reduction in policy costs and a 13% reduction in balancing costs.

The report by Aurora Energy Research, commissioned by the Scottish Onshore Wind Developers Forum, said this equates to savings of approximately £5 billion per year compared to the current pathway that is proposed in the government’s Clean Power Action Plan.

The analysis highlights significant concerns with the plan, which it said effectively imposes a de-facto ban on new Scottish onshore wind projects post-2030 that could lead to higher system costs.

The forum argues Scottish onshore wind remains one of the fastest, most reliable, and most cost-effective sources of new generation capacity.