British solar developer Boom Power has announced the closure of the research period for its 400MW East Yorkshire Solar Farm.
A decision on a development consent order (DCO) will be made by the end of May 2025, assuming there are no issues. Due to its size, the solar power plant is classified as a Nationally Important Infrastructure Project (NSIP). Boom Power first shared project proposals at community engagement events in October 2022.
If approved, the solar power plant would be connected to the National Grid at the Drax substation in North Yorkshire.
Now that the six-month investigation period has expired, the investigating authority, appointed by the Planning Inspectorate, has three months to provide advice to the Energy Secretary. Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, will then have three months to decide whether to grant the DCO.
The solar PV development will cover a total area of 1,445 hectares between the villages of Gribthorpe, Spaldington, Wressle and the town of Howden in Yorkshire. The total land area includes buffer zones that include environmental mitigation in the form of planting and screening to preserve rural nature and views of the surrounding area.
Boom Power will use tracker PV systems that will be 3.5 meters high at maximum tilt. During public consultations, the height of future panels was raised as an issue. According to the development website, the company expects a total construction time of three years.
Mark Hogan, founder of Boom Power, said he was “delighted” by the news. The company’s head of NSIP development, Robert Smith, also said he is “exceptionally proud of the quality and evolution” of the site’s design.
Smith explained: “Integrating the project into the landscape is always a challenge on larger projects, but new permitted paths, generous buffers of up to 30 meters and Public Right of Ways have been incorporated to minimize visual impact.”
In 2023, Boom Power confirmed that it would submit more than 1 GW of solar and battery energy storage projects for planning permission over the course of that year. In early October this year, the developer was granted planning permission for a 300MW/660MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Wales.
At the end of May, the company concluded its second public consultation on a proposed 237.5MW co-located solar and storage project in Fenwick, Doncaster, and plans to submit the application for a DCO by the end of 2024.
