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UK approves 134 solar farms and 28 onshore wind projects under Miliband

In February 2025, UK Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband awarded consumer-funded contracts to 134 new solar farms across England plus a further 23 in Wales and Scotland, and approved 28 large onshore-wind projects, mainly in Scotland and Wales. In the causal graph this event strengthens Renewable capacity buildout, a driver that strengthens Renewable share of global electricity generation — an improving welfare path.

Read the full account

In February 2025, UK Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband awarded consumer-funded contracts to 134 new solar farms across England plus a further 23 in Wales and Scotland, and approved 28 large onshore-wind projects, mainly in Scotland and Wales. The approvals followed Labour's lifting of the de facto onshore-wind ban in England and formed part of the government's clean-power mission to triple solar, double onshore wind and quadruple offshore wind by 2030. Analysts cautioned that some targets, particularly offshore wind, remain at risk.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

  • Ed Miliband

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    verified

    Miliband approved a large tranche of solar and onshore-wind projects and lifted the onshore-wind ban, directly expanding UK renewable buildout.

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

    1. FactUK approves 134 solar farms and 28 onshore wind projects under Miliband
    2. strengthensDriverRenewable capacity buildout
    3. strengthensIndicators (5)Renewable share of global electricity generation
    Improving path

    impact weight 0.8 · Effect from 25 February 2025 · verified

    Approving over 150 solar farms and 28 onshore-wind projects and ending the onshore-wind ban directly accelerates UK renewable buildout.

    All indicators on this path (5)

    • Access to electricity (share of world population)

      via Renewable capacity buildout

      Better

      Strengthens · Relationship strength 0.32 (weight 0.8 × strength 0.4)

      Observed

      91.6% of population · 8.4 below the normal line (2023)

      Worse than normal

      4 readings, 2020–2023: rose from 90.4% of population to 91.6% of population.

      Above normal = better

    • Population-weighted PM2.5 air pollution exposure (global)

      via Renewable capacity buildout

      Better

      Weakens · Relationship strength 0.28 (weight 0.8 × strength 0.35)

      Observed

      32.9 micrograms per cubic metre (annual mean, population-weighted) · 27.9 above the normal line (2023)

      Worse than normal

      3 readings, 2021–2023: fell from 33.2 micrograms per cubic metre (annual mean, population-weighted) to 32.9 micrograms per cubic metre (annual mean, population-weighted).

      Above normal = worse

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. ActorEd Miliband
  2. contributed toFactUK approves 134 solar farms and 28 onshore wind projects under Miliband
  3. strengthensDriverRenewable capacity buildout
  4. strengthensIndicatorRenewable share of global electricity generation

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). UK approves 134 solar farms and 28 onshore wind projects under Miliband. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/energy-fact-miliband-renewables-approvals-2025

https://factrail.ai/facts/energy-fact-miliband-renewables-approvals-2025

Accessed 15 October 2026.

By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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