The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (Desnz) has granted development assignments (DCOs) on the Heckington Fen Solar and West Burton Solar Solar PV energy plants.
The two developments, both based in Lincolnshire, England, are classified as National Important Infrastructure Developments (NSIPs) because their proposed generation capacity is more than 50 MW. Combined, the Heckington Fen Solar and West Burton Solar projects will have a generation capacity of almost 1 GW.
The West Burton Solar PV energy plant, developed by Island Green Power, is planned for land that extends across the border between Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, with a proposed generation capacity of 480 MW. The Zonne -Array will be spread over different packages of land, all of which will connect to the schedule at the existing substation in the West Burton power plant. Plans for the project have been developing since 2021, with an application for a DCO submitted in March 2023, and the formal investigation of the proposal that will be concluded in May 2024. Island Green Power has not yet been explained when they intend to start construction of development or when the project can be expected to connect to the grid.
The DCO approval of the Heckington Fen Solar Project comes at the end of a long and sometimes difficult application process. Developer Ecotricity has submitted the DCO request for a 500 MW solar PV electricity power plant with a CO location 200-400 MW Battery Energy Storage System (Bess) at the planning inspection in February 2023, after a previously failed bid for 22 wind turbines on the same land.
While plans for wind development on the site were approved by the planning inspection in 2013, the Ministry of Defense (MOD) expressed their concern about the impact of the turbines on radara weather systems in the area, forcing ecotricity to develop new plans for a solar -Energy for a solar energy development that they claim will generate about three times as much electricity as the previously proposed wind project.
In October 2024, Desnz announced that it would delay the planning decision date for the development of Heckington FEN until the beginning of 2025, after ecotricity that would request two extensions on Deadline dates for submitting information to Desnz.
According to ecotricity, the expansion was needed to give more time to negotiate with the landowners for the site, the Kroon Estate and the Duchy of Lancaster. Onsnz granted the extension, although it stated that it “reluctantly” and has now approved the project for development.
In a statement on the project website for West Burton Solar, Island Green Power said: “We are grateful to everyone who has given his time as part of this process. We are convinced that it is proposals for the end result that will deliver against our ambition for the solar project and for the local community ”.
Will 2025 be a bumper year for solar energy?
This year has already seen an important movement on various large-scale solar projects, with more in 2025.
Last week, international renewable energy -developer Ørsted announced proposals for a 320 MW Solar PV energy plant in East Yorkshire, the Kingfisher Solar Farm, for which public consultations starts on 3 February. In the meantime, Elements Green has opened the second phase of legal consultation for its 800 MW Great North Road Solar and Biodiversity Park, which runs until 20 February.
Plans for another proposed 800 MW development, EDF Renewables UK’s Springwell Solar Farm, will be investigated by the planning inspection after the successful submission of a DCO application for the project.
