Only two onshore wind turbines were installed throughout England last year and overall UK onshore installations fell compared to the previous year as the government's stalling on planning issues held back the shift away from fossil fuels and imported energy.
On the plus side, new UK offshore wind capacity rose to a new annual record, with three major offshore wind projects going fully operational to add 3,193 megawatts (MW) of new capacity, enough to power more than 3.2mln homes.
Across the UK, six onshore wind projects were installed in Scotland, two built in Northern Ireland and one in Wales, with the two projects in England adding up to an onshore total of 218MW for the year, down from 370MW the year before.
The data from RenewableUK revealed a total of 3,511MW of new UK wind capacity was added in 2022, with more than ten times more new offshore wind than onshore.
This new capacity means several new records have been set for new renewable energy generation in recent months, with an all-time high of over 21GW reached in January.
But last year, even though electricity generated from UK wind power hit a new high, natural gas still remained the biggest contributor to the power grid, National Grid figures showed.
RenewableUK, the industry body, called for planning reforms to be "implemented as soon as possible to enable more projects to go ahead onshore and offshore" to meet energy security and climate change goals.
The industry said that the current planning system is a "major barrier", though the government’s energy security strategy set out a new target to decide on offshore planning applications in 12 months, with some projects taking up to four years under current rules.
Downing Street announced a consultation in December on potential planning changes in England to enable more new onshore capacity in areas where there is public support, which would add to planning reforms underway in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
“In all parts of the UK, including Scotland, investors are highlighting the planning system as a major block on developing onshore new wind farms," said RenewableUK chief executive Dan McGrail.
“Onshore wind is one of our cheapest sources of new power and the government’s own polling shows that four-fifths of the public support it. But outdated planning rules and lack of resources in planning authorities mean progress and investment are being held back.”