News story

New research proves economic benefits of onshore wind

Onshore wind industry provided around 8,600 jobs and was worth £548 million to the UK economy.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government
  • Joint industry/DECC report shows economic benefits at all levels
  • Onshore wind industry provided around 8,600 jobs and was worth £548 million to the UK economy in 2011
  • 1,100 jobs and £84 million Gross Value Added at local level
  • Report predicts growing jobs, investment and UK content up to 2020

The benefits of onshore wind to both local economies and to UK PLC has been revealed by findings of a report published today by RenewableUK and the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

The report, by BiGGAR Economics, looks at 18 case studies of wind farms of different sizes drawn from across the UK. It analyses the contribution of wind farm development, construction, operation and maintenance to the UK economy at a local, regional and national level.

The report finds that onshore wind supported 8,600 jobs and was worth £548 million to the UK economy in 2011. Of this figure 1,100 jobs were created at the Local Authority level, worth £84 million.

If onshore wind is deployed at a scale suggested in the Government’s Renewable Energy Roadmap, the economy could benefit to the tune of £0.78 billion by 2020, supporting around 11,600 jobs.

Updates to this page

Published 27 May 2012