The Beacon Fen Energy Park, proposed by renewable energy company Low Carbon, has opened its plans for consultation from local stakeholders and communities.
The proposed site, based east of Ewerby and four kilometres east of Sleaford, will be made up of solar PV, co-located with a battery energy storage system (BESS).
It is estimated the park would generate 400MW of electricity and a storage capacity of approximately 600MW.
A statutory consultation period will now run for six weeks from 22 January to 3 March and include a series of in-person events and webinars for interested parties to find out more information.
Subject to approval, construction would start no earlier than 2026 as the planning process is expected to take two years.
James Hartley-Bond, director at Low Carbon, said: “Speaking directly with local communities and stakeholders has been a core part of our approach throughout the development of Beacon Fen Energy Park and we are looking forward to presenting more detailed and up-to-date plans at our statutory consultation.
“During our early (non-statutory) consultation last May and June, local people gave helpful information around traffic and local wildlife. We look forward to hearing from them again first hand.”
Other ongoing solar and BESS projects
There are several other projects currently at different stages of the planning process, which serve as examples of how these ventures can play out.
A proposal at a similar stage is the Springwell Solar Farm in North Kesteven, Lincolnshire, which announced its consultation on 11 December 2023.
Backed by EDF Renewables UK and Luminous Energy, the solar and storage project has the potential to generate 800MW of electricity.
Botley West solar farm is currently in its second consultation stage, running from 30 November 2023 to 8 February 2024.
The 840MW generation capacity project will be brought forward by Photovolt Development Partners (PVDP) about a year after completing the first phase.
UK developer Ridge Clean Energy received planning approval in October 2023 for a 50MW solar and storage project in Nottinghamshire. The project will combine 49.9MW of installed photovoltaic (PV) capacity with a similar-sized BESS.