The Lincolnshire solar project falls under the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) classification
The West Burton Solar Project will see the construction of four stations, each expected to generate over 50MW of energy.
The stations will be ground-mounted solar arrays along with energy storage, grid connection, and maintenance infrastructure.
The West Burton Solar Project has been under examination for over a year
The Planning Inspectorate received the application on 21 March 2023, accepting the proposal for examination on 18 April 2023.
The examination then consulted the public, statutory consultees, and other interested parties, to gather evidence in order to make recommendations to the secretary of state on 08 August 2024.
The recommendations made included the establishment of plans for biodiversity net gain, supply chains, and more, as outlined in the secretary of state’s report.
This Lincolnshire solar project marks the 89th energy application examined to date, out of 149, and completed under the guidance of the Planning Act 2008.
The project is located to the south of Sturton by Stow, and south-east of Marton.
The stations will power 144,000 homes
According to Lanpro, a planning consultant, the development will create enough energy to power 144,000 homes, replacing 24% of the former power stations capacity.
The approval comes shortly after the Government blocked the New Homes (Solar Generation) Bill. The bill would have made it mandatory for all new homes from next year onwards to be built with solar panels or infrastructure for solar panels.
It was deemed that the costs would have been too high in terms of delivery and enforcement, with there being a shortage of solar energy skills, as well as other related skills and labour, having a negative effect on many SME builders.
New Lincolnshire data centre
Last August, Lincolnshire council approved plans for a new data centre campus, the Humber Tech Park, near South Killingholme.
The centre is intended to be a leading establishment in the development and research of Artificial Intelligence and is valued at at least £3bn.
The campus will consist of three main buildings, office buildings, and a horticultural glass house, all spread over 3,326,048sq ft.
An electricity substation will also be built to power the park with 386MW. The centre is expected to create 400 jobs, and the construction of the park centre is estimated to create 2,500-3,500 jobs per year in both on- and off-site work.
Natural preservation will also feature heavily in the centre, which is located on green belt land. Shrubs and trees will be part of the security fences, and wet areas, woods and trees will be preserved, with lakes, ponds, and marshes being created along with the planting of new trees and hedges.
