740MW solar PV NSIP consultation extended740MW solar PV NSIP consultation extended

Renewable energy developer PS Renewables and Ørsted confirmed yesterday (19 June) that the consultation period for its 740MW One Earth Solar Farm in Nottinghamshire has been extended.

The two companies stated today that, due to the upcoming national elections, the developers have extended this consultation by an additional two weeks to allow interested parties to participate. As a result, the ‘statutory’ consultation is now running for eight weeks, from 29 May to 23 July 2024.

The energy production volume qualifies the project as a nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP), which means it will require a development consent order (DCO) from the secretary of state for energy security and net zero.

The project is currently on its second round of public consultations following a previous round in autumn 2023. Feedback from the earlier consultation and environmental and technical reports has informed the new and improved project proposals.

Ørsted is taking a phased ownership in the project with the achievement of key milestones. PS Renewables, a construction engineering company, and Ørsted are targeting a commercial operation date for the One Earth Solar Farm before 2030.

Matt Hazell, Co-owner of PS Renewables said: “We appreciate that the election may prevent some individuals from being able to engage with our consultation. We want to ensure that everyone who has an interest in One Earth has the opportunity to learn about our updated proposals and provide feedback, which is why we have decided to extend the consultation.”