UK's Largest Solar PV Plant: The 600MW Cottam Solar Project

UK;s government approved the 600MW Cottam Solar Project on the 5th of September. Located between Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, the farm will have a capacity of 600-megawatt (MW), and will power an average of 180,000 homes annually, and is expected to save 400,000 tonnes of CO2 every year, amounting to 0.1% of the UK’s annual emissions.

Bob Psaradellis, CEO of Cottam’s developer,Island Green Power, said: “We are delighted to receive planning consent for Cottam, which demonstrates our commitment to delivering clean, reliable, and sustainable energy by working in partnership with communities, local authorities, and key stakeholders.

“The project will play a vital role in supporting the UK’s transition to a low carbon economy,generating enough clean, renewable, and secure energyto power 180,000 households annually.”

Cottam Solar Project was granted a Development Consent Order (DCO) on Sept. 5, 2024, following consultation with local stakeholders and a lengthy examination process. In England, projects with capacity greater than 50 MW must be signed off by the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), following an examination by the UK Planning Inspectorate. The Cottam Solar Project DCO is the fourth consent order issued by DESNZ Secretary of State Ed Miliband since taking office in July 2024. It brings the total number of DCOs granted to solar projects in England to seven, with the first awarded to the 373 MW Cleve Hill solar project in 2020.

About the 600MW Cottam Solar Project

Cottam Solar Project is named after its grid connection point at the existing National Grid substation located at the Cottam Power Station. The proposals entail a series of a total of four site areas, namely Cottam 1, 2, 3a and 3b, which will be hosting solar arrays, grid connection infrastructure and also facilities for energy storage.

A 600 MW solar and energy storage project has been granted planning consent in the United Kingdom, the 600MW Cottam Solar project, the largest PV plant in capacity terms to date. It means project developer Island Green Power can now proceed with construction at the utility-scale site.

The proposals do also involve cable route corridors, accesses and environmental mitigation and enhancement measures to be undertaken during execution of the project. The Cottam Solar project’s sites are located roughly 6.5km southeast and 4km northeast of Gainsborough.

Challenges Facing the Development of the UK’s Largest Solar PV Plant Project

Miliband’s decision to grant the DCO comes despite some local opposition to the plant, which will straddle the border of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. Over the summer, the secretary of state sought clarification on issues ranging from land ownership rights to ecological concerns, such as the developer’s commitments to biodiversity and habitat management.

When commissioned, the 600 MW plant will make use of a grid connection at the nearby Cottam 400 kV substation. The grid infrastructure previously served the EDF-owned 2 GW Cottam coal-fired power station, which was powered down in September 2019.

Similar Project: The West Burton Solar Project

Cottam Solar is one of two major solar projects in the area being developed by Island Green Power. The 480 MW West Burton Solar project is also subject to DCO approval. The Planning Inspectorate has completed its examination of the site, and the Secretary of State has until Nov. 8, 2024, to make a ruling.

Another six NSIP-scale solar farms have now been given the go ahead, bringing the grand total to seven solar farms.

These include Little Crow (150MW), Cleve Hill (373MW), Longfield (420MW), Mallard Pass (350MW), Gate Burton (500MW) and Sunnica (500MW).

The final three were all approved just after the general election.

The combined capacity comes to just under 2,900MW, or 15% of the UK’s current installed capacity.

The flurry of DCOs issued by DESNZ in 2024 has been accompanied by a UK government consultation on potential changes to the consent process for larger solar plants in England. Due to the resource intensive nature of obtaining a DCO, few projects have been developed in the 50 MW to 150 MW range. The government claims raising the threshold for DESNZ approval to 150 MW could result in faster consenting at a lower cost to developers, as projects would be handled through local government planning systems. Industry stakeholders have until Sept. 24, 2024 to respond to the planning consultation.