U.K. Greenlights Largest Solar Power Project

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

Summary

The approved Springwell solar farm in the U.K. will be the country's largest and cost US$878 million to construct according to Industrial Info Resources data.

The U.K. government has given the green light to the country's largest planned solar power farm in Lincolnshire, England.

Largest Solar Farm

The Springwell solar project with added battery storage has a capacity of 800 megawatts (MW) and is being developed by EDF Power Solutions U.K. and Luminous Energy at a cost of roughly £650 million (US$878 million). Spread across an area the size of 1,700 football pitches, it will sport up to 1.7 million panels. The Development Consent Order was granted by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DENSZ). The project also benefitted from being designated as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), which allowed it to bypass local planning requirements and helped fast-track its approval. 

The U.K.'s largest operational solar farm is Cleve Hill in Kent, with a capacity of 373 MW. According to Industrial Info Resources data, there are 470 active solar power projects worth more than US$40 billion in investment. Subscribers to Industrial Info Resources' Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can click here for the reports.

Iran War Exposes Reliance on Fossil Fuels 

It is the 25th nationally significant clean energy project to be approved by the country's government, which if all come to fruition, will be capable of powering 12.5 million U.K. homes. The Labour-led government has set out grand ambitions for renewable energy and the revival of nuclear power since it took power in the summer of 2024. Granting permission, it stated that global instability - from Ukraine to the war in Iran - has "exposed the cost of relying on fossil fuel markets Britain does not control. Solar is one of the cheapest forms of power available for the country, and central to the government's clean power mission to bring stability and lower bills, in an uncertain world," according to the government.

Energy Security

"We are driving further and faster for clean homegrown power that we control to protect the British people and bring down bills for good," said U.K. Energy Minister Michael Shanks. "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." 

Positive Reaction 

The government's permit for Springwell was welcomed by trade association Solar Energy UK, which pointed out that the decision arrived a day after a new solar generation record of 14.4 gigawatts (GW) was set in the U.K. "Projects such as Springwell are vital for our nation's energy security," said Chris Hewett, chief executive of Solar Energy UK. "Its approval could not be more timely, coming only the day after the potential of solar energy was demonstrated so well by a new generation record and so soon after the U.K.'s vulnerability to high gas prices was illustrated yet again."

U.K.'s Bright Solar Ambitions

Last year, the government announced a plan to more than double solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity to between 45 gigawatts (GW) and 47 GW by 2030. In May 2025, the U.K.'s total solar capacity stood at 18.9 GW. It estimates that solar could power about 9 million homes by 2030, up from 2 million currently, and would require up to 0.4% of total U.K. land to deliver that amount. However, to reach those figures, annual installations will have to grow significantly to more than 4.7 GW per annum by 2030. Industrial Info Resources is tracking 470 solar power projects in the U.K. worth more than US$40 billion in investment. Subscribers to Industrial Info Resources' Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can click here for the reports.

Key Takeaways

• The U.K. government green lights the country's largest planned solar power farm  in Lincolnshire.
• It will cost around US$878 million to develop and use 1.7 million solar panels.
• Industrial Info Resources is tracking 470 solar power projects in the U.K. worth more than US$40 billion in investment.

About Industrial Info Resources

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).