UK approves PV projects totaling 1.2 GW

The UK government granted planning approval for 1.2 GW of new solar capacity in a five-day period, paving the way for construction to begin at three of the largest plants in England.

Development consent orders have been issued for the proposed 740 MW One Earth Solar Farm near Lincoln, the 320 MW Peartree Hill Solar Farm in East Yorkshire, and the 150 MW Dean Moor Solar Farm in West Cumbria. All three projects are expected to install a co-located battery energy storage system (BESS) on site.  

The One Earth Solar project is being developed as a joint project between PS Renewables and Perigus Energy, the renewable energy business launched by Copenhagen infrastructure Partners following its acquisition of Orsted’s onshore energy assets.

Peartree Hill has been developed by the UK arm of RWE Renewables, while Dean Moor Solar is a joint project between ib vogt and Firma Energy.

Planning consent for each project was granted via the UK government’s National Significant Infrastructure Planning (NSIP) stream.

Solar projects in England with capacity of 100 MW or greater must secure planning permission through the NSIP process, with the decision on final approval made by central government rather than local planning departments.

The UK government has approved a record number of large-scale solar projects since the last general election in summer 2024 and decisions are expected on more NSIP PV plants in the coming months. Major approvals include the record-breaking 800 MW Springwell Solar Farm, which was granted planning approval in April 2026.

A decision on the 400 MW Beacon Fenn project in South Lincolnshire is due by August 22 at the latest, while a ruling on the 840 MW Botley West must be made by September 10.

Consent orders for One Earth, Peartree Hill and Dean Moor solar projects come just in time for the eighth UK contracts for difference (CfD) allocation round (AR8), which will open for bids on July 20. Securing significant solar capacity through AR8 will be key to the government achieving ambitious solar deployment targets as part of its broader Clean Power 2030 strategy.

The UK government has targeted at least 45 GW of deployed solar capacity by 2030, up from 22.6 GW recorded in the latest provisional deployment figures to the end of May 2025.