Developer Island Green Power has closed the second consultation phase for the proposed Light Valley Solar PV energy center.
Light Valley Solar Project is a 500 MW solar -PV energy plant that is located in North Yorkshire. The development will consist of seven sun places spread over 1,020 hectares of land. Because of its generation capacity, the project is classified as a nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP), which it requires to undergo a different planning procedure than small-scale solar developments.
This consultation, the Second Island Green Power is completed for this project, ran six weeks during which six personal community consultation events were held, as well as one online event; In total, more than 500 people were present and gave feedback on the proposals at these events. The project developers state that they will use the feedback that has been collected at these events and submit a request for a development assignment (DCO) in the planning inspection later this year.
After the application has been received, the planning inspection then has 28 calendar days to decide whether it accepts the request for investigation. Island Green Power has stated that the total planning process will last between two and three years; As such, the earliest point at which the construction of development could begin 2028.
Island Green Power in the British NSIP market
Light Valley is not the only Solar NSIP proposal that the island of Green Power is currently in the making. In June, the developer announced that it had opened the second round of Community Consultation for The East Pye Solar Project, Another 500 MW proposal that will also include a co-location battery energy storage system (BESS).
Later that same month, the planning inspection stated that it had accepted a DCO entry for research by Island Green Power for the 500 MW Green Hill Solar FarmWho, if approved, is located in the neighborhood of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire.
Island Green Power is also the developer of what is mentioned as the largest permitted solar project in the UK, the development of Cottam Solar. Once completed, Cottam Solar has a capacity of 600 MW of solar generation and also includes a 600 MW Co-located Bess.
