So, my five big takeaways from the overall event are: 

 1. A project reshuffle is on the cards 

My favourite subject at the moment – the fallout of the grid queue reform will impact portfolios everywhere. It’s important to be alive to this and keep options open as the winners emerge. 

2. TNUoS cost increases – an unwelcome burden.  

The industry broadly welcomed the Government’s rejection of Zonal Pricing, a clear example of industry speaking and Government listening which should be applauded. However, rejection of one system does not mean approval of another. TNUoS has undermined the business case for projects which otherwise would have gone ahead for a generation. Making it worse doesn’t help anyone. More work is needed here. 

3. Repowering is the talk of town 

We’ve known this was coming for a while, but repowering sites (together with its close sisters: decommissioning and redeployment) were the main topics of conversation at the event. Lots of practical and positive ideas being discussed. As ever, communication and collaboration will be key to delivering this important work.

4. England and Wales are just getting warmed up 

The hotly anticipated establishment of development pipeline in England and Wales is well underway. Again, industry-wide challenges are present, not least making sure regulators are familiar with onshore wind challenges, and ensuring developers understand (and are not overly scared by) DCO processes. (As anyone who I’ve already bored on the subject will attest, I’m a big believer that the DCO process is an excellent consent pathway and should not be as off-putting as it appears to be). 

 5. As an industry, we need to get moving 

Political headwinds against renewables will only be changed by one thing – demonstrable investment in jobs and infrastructure. 2025 has been a necessary step change for the industry, but now is the time to get on and start delivering.