Government approves two large solar farms in East Yorkshire and Cumbria
They'll be able to generate enough electricity together to power more than 200,000 homes
The Government has approved two large solar farms that officials say will be able to generate enough electricity together to power more than 200,000 homes.
The Energy Department (Desnz) announced on Thursday that the Dean Moor solar farm in West Cumbria and the Peartree Hill solar farm in East Yorkshire have both been cleared for construction.
The Dean Moor site will be built between Gilgarran and Branthwaite to generate enough power to support 50,000 homes.
Meanwhile, the Peartree Hill site will be built about 12 miles north of Hull and will be able to generate enough for 167,000 homes.
It comes as the Government continues to work towards its clean power ambitions, including its target to remove almost all fossil fuels from the UK grid by 2030.
Since Labour came to power in July 2024, a total of 29 significant clean power energy projects have been approved, with ministers saying they will be able to power the equivalent of 18 million homes, or the entire South East of England.
Energy minister Michael Shanks said: “We are driving further and faster for clean homegrown power that we control to protect the British people and bring down bills for good.
“It is crucial we learn the lessons of the conflict in the Middle East – solar is one of the cheapest forms of power available and is how we get off the rollercoaster of international fossil fuel markets and secure our own energy independence.”
Lord Alan Whitehead officially signed off on the projects on behalf of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, Desnz said.