EDF Renewables has opened its consultation on updated proposals for the Rosefield Solar Farm project that will also feature battery storage and is classed as a nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP).
The project, which is based between Buckinghamshire and Aylesbury, is co-owned by EDF Renewables and PS Renewables, a UK-based renewable energy development and construction company.
The update comes after a consultation in September 2023. It includes changes such as a reduction of almost 40% in the area proposed for solar panels, a fivefold increase in the area set aside for nature and larger offsets from nearby homes.
EDF Renewables UK’s director of solar, storage and private wire Matthew Boulton said: “We are grateful to everyone who shared their views with us last year and we will continue to listen hard to the feedback we get from people on our proposals for Rosefield. I encourage everyone to get in touch, meet with us and share their views during consultation.”
The consultation will run for eight weeks from 18 September, and the feedback EDF receives will inform the final proposals put forward in its development consent order (DCO) application. Beyond its classification as an NSIP, putting the development’s capacity over 50MW, EDF has not publicly clarified its planned generation capacity.
Solar Power Portal asked for clarification and heard that, because proposals are still being developed, capacity cannot be confirmed at this stage. It will depend on the development’s final design, which will be informed by consultation feedback in addition to ongoing environmental assessments and technical work.
That said, the company did share that it has a grid connection agreement with National Grid at the East Claydon Substation that would allow us to export up to 500MW of electricity to the grid. There would also be capacity to import power from the network.
EDF Renewables NSIP successes
In June last year, EDF Renewables received a DCO for another solar NSIP project, Longfield Solar Farm, in Essex. It is the company’s first solar project over 50MW to be developed in the UK and was also delivered in a joint effort with PS Renewables. Construction is expected to start next year.
The solar PV power plant was awarded a 299MW contract under the UK government’s Contracts for Difference scheme in the sixth auction round (AR6). Its total generational capacity is 400MW and it is the first solar development with a capacity over 50MW to secure a CfD.
AR6 saw great success for the solar industry, with a total of 93 ground-based solar projects and a combined capacity of 3.3GW scoring support. Hailing AR6’s success, energy secretary Ed Miliband said: “This auction has produced a record number of solar projects bolstering our mission for a solar revolution.”
According to Cornwall Insight, solar’s CfD success results from a strong pipeline of assets across many Great British regions and its competitive edge over onshore wind.
