Work on a new 49MW renewable energy generation and storage project in South Yorkshire is moving forward after developer OnPath Energy appointed specialist infrastructure consultancy AECOM as lead consultant for the scheme.
AECOM is leading on the delivery of the Common Farm Solar Energy Park, which will be located close to the Todwick Road Industrial Estate in Dinnington.
The Common Farm Solar Energy Park will have an installed capacity of up to 49MW, which is enough to meet the average annual electricity requirements of up to 18,800 family homes and would displace over 11,470 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the electricity supply network each year.
A 50MW battery storage facility will also link directly into the Thurcroft electricity sub-station around three kilometres to the north of the site, which will help make the energy grid more efficient, facilitate more renewable energy generation and support the long-term security of energy supplies to UK consumers.
AECOM is working alongside the OnPath project team on all aspects of the site’s construction, including planning, transport, engineering and environmental management, as well as the design of its power system.
The Common Farm Solar Energy Park’s detailed ecology and biodiversity strategy will ensure it delivers a net benefit in biodiversity to the local community, with the ground around and beneath the solar panels being used to create a wildflower meadow.
Local consultation work is continuing to determine how the annual £50,000 package of community benefits that forms part of the project, which could equate to more than £2m through its lifetime, can best be used to support local community and environmental priorities.
OnPath Energy is expecting construction work to begin next summer and to finish before the end of 2026, with the build-out providing opportunities for regional sub-contractors and suppliers in the coming months.
AECOM is already working on the delivery of OnPath Energy’s Barnsdale Solar Energy Park, which is located to the east of Leeds.
Construction director at OnPath Energy Martin Kellerman said: “The Common Farm Solar Energy Park will bring a wide range of direct environmental, energy security and community benefits to the local area, and will further increase the contribution that OnPath Energy is able to make towards helping the UK meet its crucial net-zero targets.
“AECOM has extensive experience of delivering large infrastructure projects like the Common Farm Solar Energy Park and has the expertise to manage all the different types of work that will go into creating it.
“We’ve seen how effectively their team is working at our Barnsdale Solar Energy Park site and we’re very pleased to be extending our working relationship with them here.”