Photo by Carl Raw

The UK government is to remove import tariffs on 33 industrial goods used in offshore wind manufacturing from 1 April 2026, in a move expected to save the sector millions of pounds a year and accelerate progress towards the country’s Clean Energy Superpower mission.

The Department for Business and Trade announced the measure on 10 March, describing it as a strategic use of trade policy to align the UK’s industrial, trade and environmental objectives. Eligible components include materials for the manufacture of cables, rotors, rotor blades, and auxiliary and low-voltage systems used in wind turbines and substations, both onshore and offshore.

The mechanism works through an Authorised Use procedure, which conditionally reduces import duty to zero for goods committed to a specified end use within a set period. As New Civil Engineer reports, to qualify importers must satisfy conditions set out by HM Revenue & Customs and demonstrate that goods are processed in the UK for the authorised purpose within an agreed timeframe. The conditionality is designed to protect UK producers from being undercut by cheap imports in sectors that use similar materials.

Record investment backdrop

The announcement follows a record-breaking Contracts for Difference round in January 2026, which secured 8.4 GW and £22 billion of offshore wind investment – enough to power the equivalent of over 12 million homes. Among the projects awarded was Berwick Bank in the North Sea, the first new Scottish offshore wind project since 2022 and one of the largest planned anywhere in the world. The government also notes that offshore wind is 40% cheaper to produce and maintain than new gas projects, based on the Levelised Cost of Energy metric.

Industry response

The move was welcomed by RenewableUK, which said it had been actively lobbying for the change. Celestia Godbehere, the organisation’s Head of Offshore Wind, said it was “a very positive move for the industry – it’s exactly the kind of practical policy change that will help to bring down the cost of clean energy projects while supporting domestic manufacturing.” She added that the savings would “create more competitive bids at future clean energy auctions,” and that the change “ultimately means lower bills for consumers, stronger UK manufacturing, and faster deployment of the offshore wind capacity we need to strengthen the country’s energy security.”

Wider questions remain

However, uncertainty persists over whether tariff changes alone will prompt significant onshore manufacturing investment, given longstanding challenges around port capacity, grid connections, project consenting and competition from lower-cost overseas producers. Trade and industry bodies will be watching to see whether the measure is accompanied by additional incentives, such as capital investment, skills programmes or planning reform, that firms argue are necessary to scale up domestic supply chains.