Muirhall Energy responds to UK Government AR8 announcement

Responding to yesterday's announcement (March 15) by Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero that the next Contracts for Difference auction (Allocation Round 8) will be brought forward to July 2026, Sarah McIntosh, Managing Director of Muirhall Energy, said:

 

"We welcome all Government commitments that will help industry go further and faster in the deployment of home grown, green energy, which will be critical in the context of the clean power mission and in helping to reduce costs for consumers at a time of great geo-political uncertainty.

 

"While we believe the CfD mechanism is a key enabler of this ambition, delaying AR7 and then bringing AR8 forward to July 2026 creates significant constraints for some developers, particularly those with onshore wind projects that are currently experiencing extensive delays in the consenting process. 

 

"To maximise capacity and economic opportunity presented by the next auction and beyond, a change to CfD eligibility rules is required to allow all technologies who are expected to connect to the grid in AR8 delivery timescales, but currently awaiting consent, to still participate as is currently the case for offshore wind.

 

“As one of the cheapest and most established renewables technologies, onshore wind will continue to play a critical role in the UK’s energy mix, providing good value for the public purse and supporting greater home-grown energy security, decarbonisation and economic growth. Following the success of AR7, we hope that future CfD auction rounds continue to be enabling, and cost reflective, to support further onshore wind deployment in the UK.”