The government will scrap tariffs on dozens of industrial components used in wind turbines from 1 April to strengthen the UK’s offshore wind supply chain and make domestic manufacturing more competitive.
Ministers say the change will remove import duties on 33 goods used in the production of wind energy infrastructure helping manufacturers cut costs and reinvest in the rapidly expanding sector.
The new measure will apply through an authorised use system which allows companies to import components tariff free provided they are used specifically for wind energy manufacturing.
The government argues the move will make it cheaper to build turbine components in Britain, while protecting domestic industry from unfair competition in other sectors.
Eligible imports include parts used to manufacture cables rotors rotor blades and electrical systems used in wind turbines and offshore substations.
Officials say lowering the cost of these inputs will help strengthen the UK’s industrial base as offshore wind deployment accelerates.
The policy is part of a wider effort to align trade policy with the government’s Clean Energy Superpower strategy.
Ministers say targeted tariff reductions can help unlock investment and support domestic manufacturing linked to the energy transition.
Offshore wind is already the UK’s largest source of renewable electricity and is seen as central to the country’s future power system.
Industry analysis suggests offshore wind is around 40% cheaper to build and operate than new gas power stations based on levelised cost of energy comparisons.
The tariff changes follow a record round of offshore wind investment secured earlier this year.
The government says the latest Contracts for Difference allocation round delivered 8.4GW of new offshore wind capacity representing around £22 billion (£22 billion) in investment.
That is expected to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of more than 12 million homes.
The projects include Berwick Bank in the North Sea one of the largest planned offshore wind developments in the world and the first new Scottish offshore project secured since 2022.
Reacting to the cuts RenewableUK’s Head of Offshore Wind Celestia Godbehere said: “We’ve been calling for this change because removing tariffs on cables, blades and other critical components reduces costs for UK manufacturers, which enables developers using these suppliers to invest more efficiently across the supply chain.
“It will create substantial savings for UK manufacturers, enabling more competitive bids at future clean energy auctions.”
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