Cowell, Richard

Ellis, Geraint

Strachan, Peter A

Toke, Dave

The decarbonisation of energy systems draw a new set of stakeholders into debates over energy generation, engage a complex set of social, political, economic and environmental processes and impact at a wide range of geographical scales, including local landscape changes, national energy markets and regional infrastructure investment. This paper focusses on a particular geographic scale, that of the regions/nations of the UK (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland), who have been operating under devolved arrangements since the late 1990s, coinciding with the mass deployment of wind energy. The devolved administrations of the UK possess an asymmetrical set of competencies over energy policy, yet also host the majority of the UK wind resource. This context provides a useful way to consider the different ways in which geographies of "territory" are reflected in energy governance, such through techno-rational assessments of demand or infrastructure investment, but also through new spatially-defined institutions that seek to develop their own energy future, using limited regulatory competencies. By focussing on the way the devolved administrations have used their responsibilities for planning over the last decade this paper will assess the way in which the spatial politics of wind energy is giving rise to renewed forms of territorialisation of natural resources. In so doing, we aim to contribute to clarifying the questions raised by Hodson and Marvin (2013) on whether low carbon futures will reinforce or challenge dominant ways of organising relationships between the nation-state, regions, energy systems and the environment

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Planning, Devolution and the Territorialisation of Wind Energy inthe UKEllis, G., Cowell, R., Strachan, P. A., & Toke, D. (2014). Planning, Devolution and the Territorialisation of WindEnergy in the UK. Paper presented at Association of America Geographers Annual Meeting 2014, Tampa,United States.Queen's University Belfast - Research Portal:Link to publication record in Queen's University Belfast Research PortalGeneral rightsCopyright for the publications made accessible via the Queen's University Belfast Research Portal is retained by the author(s) and / or othercopyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associatedwith these rights.Take down policyThe Research Portal is Queen's institutional repository that provides access to Queen's research output. Every effort has been made toensure that content in the Research Portal does not infringe any person's rights, or applicable UK laws. If you discover content in theResearch Portal that you believe breaches copyright or violates any law, please contact openaccess@qub.ac.uk.Download date:15. Feb. 2017Co-authors:  Richard Cowell, Cardiff University  Peter A Strachan, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen  Dave Toke, Aberdeen University Geraint Ellis, Queen's University Belfast  g.ellis@qub.ac.uk  Twitter: @gellis23  Multi-scalar influences on energy governance and the drivers for wind energy. For example in the UK:  EU targets  Energy as a national issue  Reliance of devolved administrations for renewables (esp wind)  Re-framing of spatial relationships with energy – for example decentralised generation.    Energy as a socio-technical system, with an underdeveloped spatial dimension.  The role of planning in the territorialisation and politicisation of energy.  Devolution since 1998/99 : ‘the age of wind energy’.  An example of ‘re-territorialisation’  Distribution of ‘asymmetric  competencies’:  Planning is fully devolved to all administrations; other key aspects of energy policy are not.  The evolving political context – divergence since 2010. (Source: DECC 2013, RESTATS historic data) 01000200030004000500060007000England Scotland  Wales NorthernIreland00.10.20.30.40.50.60.70.80.91England Scotland Wales NorthernIrelandkW/capita Renewable capacity per capita Renewable installed capacity Country Energy policy is … Provision of market support for renewable energy Planning and consents   (onshore) Planning and consents (offshore) Economic development spending Northern Ireland Fully devolved Fully devolved Fully devolved Fully devolved Fully devolved Scotland Executively devolved Scope to shape delivery of some schemes Fully devolved Fully devolved Fully devolved Wales Not devolved No powers Partial powers over planning policy and consent for smaller schemes (below 50MW) Power to determine applications up to 1MW (exception under Transport & Works Act 1992) Fully devolved Westminster & England Full competence Full competence Full policy competence for England, partial for Wales; full competence over major projects (50MW plus)  Full competence for English and Welsh Waters (subject to Welsh exceptions, above) Fully devolved  Devolved Administrations host the greatest renewable resources and over half installed capacity of the UK.  UK state is responsible for meeting EU renewable energy target:  15% of total energy by 2020  Devolved administration proportionally exceed these targets  Complex regional relationships and nationalistic influences on priorities for renewable energy development  www.ecotricity.co.uk  National planning guidance as a key instrument of territorialisation:  Scotland’s anti-nuclear stance and post-independence energy economy;  Wales steering of large scale projects and limits on autonomy;  Northern Ireland’s regulation-lite;  English Conservativism and landscape protection.  Yet each have a shared emphasis on streamlining decision and ‘infrastructuralism’   Local politicisation – national territorialisation  Understanding the geographic scales of energy governance: nation states, communities and sub-national government.  The resilience of dominant energy pathways and energy-as-infrastructure.  Insights into the spatial politics of the low carbon transition:  Multi-level governance and the specificity of place  Both challenging and reinforcing different types of territorial relationships  Thank you This research has been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council under the project RES-062-23-2526: Delivering Renewable Energy under Devolution.  

Planning, Devolution and the Territorialisation of Wind Energy in the UK

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