Large-scale solar developer Photovolt Development Partners (PVDP) has confirmed that its 840MW Botley West solar PV development in Oxfordshire has entered the pre-exploration phase.
The developer confirmed yesterday (December 16) that the Planning Inspectorate has accepted the utility-scale project, which the organization claims is Britain’s largest, for investigation.
Due to the capacity of the proposals, the project is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). NSIPs require the government to grant a Development Consent Order (DCO) for the project to proceed.
In this case, a DCO application was submitted in mid-November. This is a long delay, as the previous forecast, when the project was first announced, estimated that PVTP would file the DCO by the end of 2023.
Under the grid connection agreement, 870 MW will be supplied to the National Grid, and the project will come online in autumn 2027.
Although Botley West is approaching pre-development and research phases, the route has not been without challenges. In March, it received a response proposing further revisions to the site’s design and layout. The council said that while the changes could reduce the size of the project, they would help minimize the scale and significance of its impacts on a fragile 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 compared to the first consultation (which ran in 2022), which covered a total area of 1,400 hectares with 1,000 hectares of panels and other forms of infrastructure.
Mark Owen-Lloyd, the project developer at PVDP, praised 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 investigation, which will now progress to the pre-investigation phase. This project, once built, will make a huge contribution to achieving net zero in Britain while providing the reliable, clean energy that Oxfordshire needs,” said Owen-Lloyd.
