Utility-scale solar developer Photovolt Development Partners (PVDP) has confirmed that its 840MW Botley West solar PV development in Oxfordshire has entered the pre-examination phase.
The developer confirmed yesterday (16 December) that the Planning Inspectorate has accepted the utility-scale project, which the organisation claims is the UK’s largest, for examination.
Due to the proposals’ capacity, the project is classed as a nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP). NSIPs require the government to grant a development consent order (DCO) for the project to go ahead.
In this case, a DCO application was submitted in mid-November. This is a lengthy delay, as the previous forecast, when the project was first announced, estimated that PVTP would submit the DCO at the end of 2023.
The grid connection agreement will see 870MW supplied to the National Grid, and the project will come online in Autumn 2027.
However, although Botley West is nearing the pre-development and examination phase, the route has not been without challenges. In March, it received a response suggesting further revisions to the site’s design and layout. The local council said that although the changes could reduce the project’s scale, they would help minimise the magnitude and significance of its effects on a sensitive environment.
As such, the proposed development site now covers an area of 1,300 hectares, and the proposed area of installed panels (excluding internal roads and support areas) is approximately 890 hectares.
This is a reduction in the total site area from the initial consultation (which ran in 2022), that covered a total area of 1,400 hectares with 1,000 hectares of panels and other types of infrastructure.
Mark Owen-Lloyd, the project developer at PVDP, hailed the project’s milestone, noting the impact it could have on the wider energy transition in the UK.
“We are pleased that the Planning Inspectorate has accepted Botley West Solar Farm for examination, which will now progress to the pre-examination phase. This project, once built, will make a huge contribution towards achieving net zero in the UK whilst providing the reliable, clean power Oxfordshire needs,” Owen-Lloyd said.
