UK renewable energy company Low Carbon has announced that it is in the early stages of developing proposals for West Oxfordshire Energy Park, a solar photovoltaic electricity generating station with associated battery energy storage and electrical infrastructure.
The proposed development is located in West Oxfordshire, on land to the north-west of Lechlade and south-west of Carterton, near the villages of Langford and Little Faringdon.
With an expected capacity of 500 MW, the West Oxfordshire Energy Park project has the potential to generate enough clean electricity each year to power the equivalent of approximately 145,000 UK homes, enough to power the whole of the West Oxfordshire district, while avoiding up to 154,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.
Alongside the solar panels, battery energy storage system and other associated infrastructure, the proposed development will include environmental mitigation and enhancement areas. West Oxfordshire Energy Park is being developed through an environment-led design approach. Environmental surveys, technical assessments and feedback from local communities and other stakeholders will inform and refine the design as it develops.
Low Carbon is engaging with local parish councils and other stakeholders while the emerging design is in its early stages. A public consultation is planned for at the beginning of 2027, giving local communities and other interested parties an opportunity to review the proposals and provide feedback.
Development director at Low Carbon, Ed Perrin, commented:
'We are pleased to announce our plans for West Oxfordshire Energy Park, which, if approved, will make an important contribution to the supply of clean, home-grown renewable power in the UK that will support government targets for solar deployment.
'The project is in its early stages, and our immediate focus is on engaging with those who live and work nearby. We are grateful to the communities and stakeholders who have engaged with us so far, and we look forward to continuing that engagement as the proposals develop, using the feedback they share to help shape the project.'
With a proposed generating capacity exceeding 100 MW, West Oxfordshire Energy Park is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). It will require an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) that will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate, with the consent determined by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.
Low Carbon has a strong track record of bringing NSIP solar projects through the DCO regime. In August this year, the government granted development consent for Low Carbon's Beacon Fen Energy Park project.
Source: Low Carbon
