UK’s second largest solar farm approved on Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire border
The One Earth Solar Farm could generate enough electricity to power around 200 thousand homes
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has granted planning consent for the UK’s second largest solar farm which will be built on the border of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.
The One Earth Solar Farm has been cleared for construction on land surrounding the River Trent near the village of South Clifton, the Energy Department (Desnz) announced on Tuesday.
Under the developers’ proposals, the clean energy project will have the capacity to generate up to 740 megawatts (MW) of electricity – enough to power the equivalent of 200,000 homes, which is around half those in Lincolnshire.
The solar farm is set to be the second largest in the UK following the Government’s decision to approve the 800MW Springwell Solar Farm in North Kesteven, Lincolnshire, in April.
It comes a week after ministers backed two other large solar farms – Pear Tree Hill in East Yorkshire and Dean Moor in West Cumbria.
This means the Government has now approved 30 nationally significant clean energy projects since coming to power in July 2024, which it says will be enough to power the equivalent of more than 19 million homes.
Labour took office promising to decarbonise the country’s electricity grid by 2030 to bring down bills, boost energy security and tackle climate change.
Ministers recently doubled down on this ambition after the US-Israeli war in Iran drove up fossil fuel costs this year and further demonstrated the UK’s exposure to volatile global markets.
Mr Miliband said: “The only way to have energy security is if we take a pro-growth approach to building more clean energy in Britain.
“For two years that is exactly what this Government has done.”
The Government highlighted how solar has become one of the cheapest forms of power available for the country, with the recent surge in its rollout helping to drive up the proportion of the UK being powered by renewables.
Official data published last month shows that 2025 was the strongest year on record for solar deployment, with 269,000 installations completed across the UK.
Last week, the Government also confirmed that planning reforms to scrap mandatory pre-application consultation requirements for major infrastructure projects will come into effect later this month.
Ministers say this will cut up to a year from the planning process and potentially save industry £1 billion this Parliament.