Planning approvals for battery, wind and solar projects in Great Britain almost doubled year-on-year in 2025, according to new analysis from Cornwall Insight – though grid connection delays and long build times remain the key barrier to turning that pipeline into delivered capacity.
According to Cornwall Insight, more than 45GW of capacity was approved in 2025, up from 23GW in 2024 – a 96% increase. The consultancy says the uplift was driven primarily by battery storage and offshore wind, with battery approvals rising to 28.6GW from 14.9GW in 2024, and offshore wind approvals jumping to 9.9GW from 1.3GW.
While the headline figures are eye-catching, Cornwall Insight notes that many of the projects gaining consent this year have been in development for some time, with applications submitted well before the latest approvals.
Battery storage matures, and connection reforms loom
Cornwall Insight links the rise in battery approvals to a combination of project scale and timing. Battery storage is increasingly being proposed at larger sizes as the technology matures and developers look to strengthen the business case through scale.
The analysis also points to the impact of upcoming reforms to the connections process. Developers have been under pressure to demonstrate project progress as network operators move towards a ‘first ready, first needed, first connected’ approach to queue management, replacing the previous system that often rewarded whoever joined the queue earliest rather than who was most deliverable.
Local political timing may also have played a role. Cornwall Insight suggests some developers may have sought to secure planning consent ahead of local elections, given uncertainty over future approaches to renewable energy planning at local authority level.
At a national level, the consultancy firm argues that Government efforts to streamline planning and prioritise nationally significant infrastructure have helped reduce delays and give developers more certainty. Recent updates to National Policy Statements and repeated commitments to faster consenting have generally been welcomed by developers and investors, though the details will matter in how consistently they are applied.
Approvals up, delivery still constrained
Planning approvals across batteries, wind and solar have increased by more than 400% over the past five years, climbing from just over 9GW in 2021 to today’s levels. That trend underscores the strength of the development pipeline – but also highlights a familiar problem for the UK’s energy transition: consenting is only one step in a long chain.
Construction timelines for large energy projects can stretch for years, and grid connection constraints continue to dominate delivery risk. Even where planning consent is secured, projects can be delayed by reinforcement requirements, limited transmission capacity, or the simple lack of available connection dates.
Recent reforms from the National Energy System Operator (NESO) are intended to address that bottleneck by reducing the number of so-called ‘zombie’ projects sitting in the queue without a realistic path to delivery. Separate Government proposals – including the Planning and Infrastructure Bill – are also expected to focus on reducing consenting timelines for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, and limiting delays from repeated legal challenge.
However, Cornwall Insight warns there is no single fix. A faster planning system does not automatically translate into faster construction, and connection reform will only go so far without sustained investment in networks.
Grid reinforcement now the limiting factor
The scale of approvals also underlines the challenge facing the electricity network, which was not built for a system dominated by intermittent generation, storage and more dynamic demand.
If the pipeline is to translate into lower-carbon electricity at scale, the focus will increasingly shift to grid flexibility, transmission upgrades, distribution investment and smarter operation of the system. That includes everything from upgrading substations and overhead lines, to accelerating the rollout of flexibility markets that allow storage and demand-side response to reduce peak strain.
This is something the network owners are fully aware of, which is why many of them are currently on massive recruitment drives – but as with everything, it’ll take time before we see the fruits of their labour.
Robin Clarke, Senior Analyst at Cornwall Insight, noted, “On paper, the UK’s renewables pipeline has never looked stronger. This record-breaking surge in planning approvals signals real momentum in the UK’s energy transition, with offshore wind and battery storage reshaping what’s possible at scale.
“But approvals alone don’t generate electricity, and we urgently need to move from ambition to actual delivery of these projects. Too much capacity is still stuck in queues or waiting on grid upgrades. Grid bottlenecks remain one of the biggest risks to turning today’s approvals into tomorrow’s power.
“The recent grid connection reforms are a significant step forward, and should help clear some of the backlog, but they won’t solve everything. We need faster decisions, more investment in the grid, and real collaboration between Government, regulators, and industry. Without that, these record numbers risk becoming just another statistic.”
