Island Green Power’s proposed 480MW West Burton Solar Project has progressed to the next stage of its development consent, with the planning inspectorate having closed its examination.
The examination closed on 8 May, and the planning inspectorate will pass their recommendation regarding the project to the Secretary of State in early August. The Secretary of State then has three months to make a decision.
If developed, the West Burton Solar Project would provide solar and energy storage in several land parcels in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, approximately 7.4km to the south and up to 14.6km southeast of Gainsborough in the local authority of West Lindsey District Council. The project plans are below.
The nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP) involves the construction of three electricity generating stations. Each station is expected to have a capacity exceeding 50MW and will consist of ground-mounted solar arrays.
The associated development includes energy storage, grid connection infrastructure, and other essential infrastructure required for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the project.
Tara Sethi, technical director of environmental impact assessment (EIA) and major infrastructure at Lanpro, who provided planning, EIA and environmental expertise for the project, commented: “Lanpro has worked with Island Green Power on the creation of the West Burton Solar Project for three years.
“This substantial project has the potential to provide affordable, clean power to hundreds of thousands of homes in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. In doing so, it has a significant role to play in meeting the country’s net zero target. We’ve been privileged to work with Island Green Power on this and Cottam solar schemes and we look forward to a successful outcome later this year.”
