A huge new solar farm with battery storage could be built beside an existing onshore wind farm straddling the North Lincolnshire border and the M180.
Leading energy provider and renewables developer RWE is behind the 600MW proposal, named Tween Bridge. The company has just secured a capacity agreement with National Grid - a key step in such developments, and is targeting 2029 as an operational date.
Next year should see consultations open, ahead of a development consent order application for the site, loosely between Crowle and Thorne. RWE already operates Tween Bridge Onshore Wind Farm, with the company stressing the development would not require any additional overhead power lines or further network infrastructure.
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Katja Wünschel, chief executive for onshore wind and solar across Europe and Australia, said: “Solar in combination with battery storage fits well into RWE’s UK development portfolio, where we already generate 15 per cent of the country’s energy needs. Our strategy is geared towards sustainability and the vigorous expansion of large scale solar will be part of these ambitions.”
If successful, once constructed the land - bordering Thorne Moors National Nature Reserve to the north - would host both solar power generation, battery storage, onshore wind and animal husbandry. It is planned for Tween Bridge Solar to become one of the largest lowland sheep farms in the country and an opportunity has also been identified for a bee farm.
RWE’s established presence on the Humber and the immediate hinterland includes onshore wind farms at Goole Fields and Tween Bridge, plus offshore wind farms the Humber Gateway and Triton Knoll. In addition, the company is developing the Grimsby Hub, an expanded operations and maintenance base providing specialist services to its offshore fleet, creating jobs and apprenticeships.
The under-construction Sofia offshore wind farm is also to be based there, with further plans in the North Sea also being developed.
RWE is to undertake a detailed environmental survey following the submission of the project’s environmental scoping report to the Planning Inspectorate. Early discussions are also underway with landowners and planning authorities in order to inform the design and layout of the site.
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