Renewable energy developer SSE Renewables has announced that it has opened the first public consultation for a proposed 200MW solar and 400MW storage development.
The proposed Shepway Energy Park is set to be located in Romney Marsh, new Newchurch in the county of Kent and will deliver 200MW of solar energy plus a 400MW battery energy storage system (BESS). The development will be spread across six sites in the Romney Marsh Area.
Due to the project’s proposed solar generation capacity, the project is deemed a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) and thus will apply for planning consent through the Planning Inspectorate and energy secretary instead of through local government channels.
The first phase of early engagement on the project is now open, with local residents and stakeholders invited to comment on SSE Renewables’ proposed plans until 13 July 2025. On June 18th, 19th, and 21st, in-person public information events will be held to give locals an opportunity to learn more about the proposed plans. Responses can also be submitted by email or post.
Following this early engagement period, the developer will take any feedback and adjust the plans if deemed appropriate and necessary. Before plans are submitted to the Planning Inspectorate, SSE Renewables will host several further opportunities for public comment, including a statutory public consultation. As the project is currently in the very earliest stages of development, only minimal environmental scoping has been carried out thus far.
The development timeline is still being confirmed; however, SEE Renewables has stated that it expects to conduct environmental surveys on the site this summer, with a statutory consultation being launched in early 2026 ahead of the application for a development consent order (DCO) being submitted in the autumn of next year. The final outcome of the DCO application is expected to be given in late 2027 or early 2028, with the project aiming to be commissioned and fully operational by the year 2033.
Haveer Dookhit, senior project development manager at SSE Renewables, expressed the firm’s keenness to engage with the local community on the plans for this project, stating: “Understanding the views of local people who live and work nearby will be key to helping us shape this project”.
SSE seeks sunshine
The majority of SSE Renewables’ recent efforts in the UK have been in the battery energy storage, rather than the solar sector, with notable BESS projects of a similar size to Shepway Energy Park’s co-located BESS coming to the fore in the latter end of last year.
In August 2024, the developer signed a supply agreement with energy storage system manufacturer Sungrow to supply BESS units for its Monk Fryston BESS, a 320MW/640MWh project in the north of England. The development began construction in October 2024; once completed, it will be one of the largest BESS developments currently operating in the UK.
The announcement of SSE Renewables’ solar NSIP ambitions comes hot on the heels of several other major solar developments hitting significant milestones on their journey through the UK planning system. Last month, both Island Green Power and RES submitted their applications for solar NSIPs; the former seeking consent to develop the Green Hill Solar Farm, a proposed 500MW solar plus storage project, while the latter seeks permission to develop the Steeple Renewables Project, a proposed 600MW solar PV and battery energy storage development located at Sturton-le-Steeple in Nottinghamshire.
Late March also saw major movement in the solar NSIP arena, as the Planning Inspectorate accepted two utility-scale solar PV projects for examination with a collective generation capacity of over 1GW. The Planning Inspectorate will now determine if DCOs will be granted for RWE’s 320MW Peartree Hill Solar Farm in the East Riding of Yorkshire and PS Renewables and Ørsted’s 740MW One Earth Solar Farm in Nottinghamshire.
