Renewable energy developer Low Carbon has announced plans for a 500MW solar and energy storage project in Kent.
The company revealed yesterday (13 November) that it is in the early stages of development on the project proposals for the South Kent Energy Park, and has begun the first phase of community outreach. Early engagement with the local community near the village of Old Romney will run from 12 November to 20 December 2024, with local people invited to share their feedback online and at in-person events over this period.
Owing to its size, the 500MW project is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). This means that the application for development consent must be sent to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS), before being approved by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). Low Carbon states they anticipate submitting their application in late 2026; if consent is granted, the company expects to begin construction in 2029.
The project will combine 500MW of solar generation capacity with a battery energy storage system (BESS), although the BESS capacity has not been revealed.
James Hartley-Bond, Low Carbon’s project development director, said, “In delivering South Kent Energy Park, we want to give the local community the opportunity to collaborate with us and shape the project from an early stage of the design process.
“Alongside data from our ongoing environmental surveys, we will use the feedback we receive to inform the design of the project. We develop our projects responsibly, and listening to the community is integral to that process.”
Low Carbon has strong 2024
Low Carbon has performed well across 2024, with several significant wins boosting the firm’s profile.
Low Carbon secured 180MW of solar capacity in the recent Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction round (AR6). This CfD auction round saw a record level of success for the solar industry, with 93 ground-based solar projects with a combined capacity of 3.3GW securing support in the auction.
The company was one of three developers awarded a Development Consent Order (DCO) as part of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband’s early term DCO award blitz in July. A DCO was granted for the 500MW Gate Burton Energy Park project in Lincolnshire, alongside Windel Energy and Canadian Solar’s 350MW Mallard Pass project and Sunnica’s 500MW solar plus storage development on the Suffolk and Cambridgeshire border.
In early October, Low Carbon announced that it had successfully energised four large-scale solar projects across the UK, with a collective capacity of 133MW. These projects include the 49.9MW Layer Solar Farm in Essex, the 23MW Crouch Solar Farm near Basildon, Braintree’s 35MW Links Solar Farm and the 25MW Maldon Wycke Solar Farm.
