RWE has launched a second phase of community consultation on proposals to build a new 100MW solar farm with energy storage on land in Cumbria, England.
The developer is seeking feedback on Lostrigg Solar, including the design principles and parameters, plans for environmental mitigation and enhancement.
This statutory stage of consultation will run until Wednesday 30 April 2025.
Michael Baker, development project manager for Lostrigg Solar, said: “This consultation is an opportunity for us to share our more detailed plans for Lostrigg Solar, and provide an opportunity for everyone interested in the project share their views.
“Our team has worked hard to develop the proposals for Lostrigg Solar since it was first introduced last year.
“This has included considering the suggestions we received as part of our first phase of consultation.
“Our passion lies in creating sustainable energy solutions that respond to their surroundings through considering the local environment and feedback from local communities.
“We believe that local authorities, businesses and communities all have a crucial role to play in helping inform and influence how our proposals for Lostrigg Solar evolve.
“We are committed to working collaboratively and responsibly with local communities to ensure their voices are heard.
“Our project website and communications channels continue to be live, and we look forward to meeting the community at our information events.
“We encourage anyone with an interest in our proposals to provide their feedback and take part in our first phase of consultation.”
RWE will be holding a series of in-person and online information events.
These events will be an opportunity for interested parties to view the refined proposals for Lostrigg Solar, discuss them in person with members of the project team, and provide their feedback.
There will be a total of four events during the second phase of consultation, this includes three in-person events and one online webinar.
Due to its proposed generation capacity being over 50MW, Lostrigg Solar is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP).
This means that RWE will make an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to the Planning Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State, rather than to the local planning authority.
In the case of energy-related development the Planning Inspectorate, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), will carry out an examination of our proposals and then make a recommendation to the Secretary of State on whether to grant consent for the development.
Consent would then be determined by the Secretary of State.
RWE anticipates that the pre-application process through to determination will take between two and three years, and we intend to submit our DCO application to PINS in Autumn 2025.
Subject to achieving consent, construction would begin no earlier than Q2 2027.