Onshore Wind Council
The Onshore Wind Council was established to oversee the implementation of the 2025 Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy, and to identify emerging issues and opportunities for the onshore wind sector.
Radically increasing onshore wind deployment by 2030 to help Britain become a clean energy superpower is a key part of one of Government’s core missions. The Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy, published in July 2025, is the Government’s first ever dedicated strategy for onshore wind, committing to 42 ambitious actions across planning, grid, supply chains and workforce, financing, communities and aviation. To ensure Government and industry deliver on the critical actions committed to in the strategy, an Onshore Wind Council has been established to oversee the implementation and identify emerging issues and opportunities for the onshore wind sector.
Purpose
The Onshore Wind Council builds on the work of the Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce, which ran from July 2024 to April 2025 to bring together key organisations to identify, and agree actions to, mitigate barriers to onshore wind deployment across the UK.
The Council continues to bring together the onshore wind industry, departments across UK Government, devolved administrations and unions with a focus on delivery. The objectives of the Council are to:
- Drive delivery: The Council will oversee implementation of the commitments in the Onshore Wind Strategy, monitor progress and effectiveness, and collaboratively tackle key implementation challenges.
- Respond to emerging trends: The Council will monitor and respond to key emerging challenges and opportunities, realigning priorities and action as needed.
- Capture the benefits: The Council will ensure that as the onshore wind sector grows, the benefits are captured to help capitalise on economic opportunities such as investment in UK supply chains, jobs, skills and innovation.
The Onshore Wind Council will meet a minimum of 3 times a year. The frequency of meetings will be regularly reviewed and flexed according to need.
Membership
Joint Chairs
- Michael Shanks MP, Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero
- Matthieu Hue, CEO of EDF Power Solutions UK and Ireland
The chairs are supported by officials from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, alongside a membership made up of expert representatives from the onshore wind industry, investment companies and others who will attend Council meetings when the agenda pertains to their spheres of interest.
| Name | Position | Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Jane Cooper | Deputy CEO | RenewableUK |
| Claire Mack | CEO | Scottish Renewables |
| Representatives from the RenewableUK Industry Delivery Group (IDG) | Three developers and one supply chain company from the Industry Delivery Group will attend the Council. RenewableUK will work with the IDG to nominate the most relevant attendees for each meeting, based on the agenda. |
Various |
| Union representative | A union representative will attend the Council on a rotating basis, nominated by the Wind Sector Industrial Relations Collaboration Forum. | Various |
| Julian Leslie | Director, Strategic Energy Planning and Chief Engineer | National Energy System Operator |
| Duncan Law | Head of Policy and Advocacy | Community Energy England |
| Mike Smyth | Chair | Energy4All |
| UK Government and Devolved Administration representatives | Officials from relevant UK Government departments, as well as officials from Scottish Government, Welsh Government, and Northern Ireland Executive, will attend the Council when the agenda is relevant. | Various |