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Introduction

Cottam Solar Project Limited is developing proposals for a new solar and energy storage project that would cross the county border between Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

Our Development Consent Order (DCO) Application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in January 2023. This application was formally accepted by PINS, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, on 09 February 2023.

Before reaching this stage, our team undertook two phases of consultation to inform the assessment and design of our proposals.

Information on the proposals, including the materials from both phases of consultation, can be found in the document library of this website.

DCO Application Update

The Planning Inspectorate’s examination on Cottam Solar Project closed on Tuesday 05 March 2024.

Across the six-month Examination period, the Examining Authority (ExA) appointed by the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) considered our DCO application for Cottam Solar Project. The Examination included onsite inspections, blended hearings (in person with online available) and the digital submission of additional written material from a variety of stakeholders.  

Throughout the Examination, our team was given the opportunity to further discuss the DCO with key stakeholders and offer further details and explanations where needed, as well as respond to further material submitted by others. All information regarding the Examination (including documents submitted and recordings of previous hearings) is available on the PINS project website linked here. 

There are now three months in which the Planning Inspectorate will write its report and make a recommendation to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State then has a further three months to make a final decision, which is therefore due by Thursday 05 September 2024.

To find out more about the DCO application process, please visit the PINS webpage linked here. To view a presentation about the DCO process, please click here for a PINS’ informational video, or click here to read a transcript.  

If you participated in the examination process, we sincerely thank you for your time and contributions.

 

About Us

Cottam Solar Project Limited is being developed by Island Green Power, who are a leading international developer of renewable energy projects, established in 2013.

Island Green Power has delivered 26 solar projects worldwide totalling more than 1GW of capacity. This includes 14 solar projects in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Their mission is to increase solar energy usage, making more renewable energy possible and saving thousands of tonnes of CO2 in the process.

Island Green Power is committed to responsible land use and believe that the development and delivery of large-scale solar farms can be achieved in harmony with their surroundings.

 
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The Opportunity

From October 2024, Great Britain will no longer use coal to generate electricity. As part of this, the coal powered Cottam Power Station stopped generating in 2019. At the same time, we know demand for electricity is continuing to increase and that the UK faces some of the highest electricity costs in Europe. There is a clear need for renewable, affordable and reliable energy. 

The decommissioning of Cottam Power Station presents the opportunity to repower the region with clean, green energy.

The Cottam Solar Project could:

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Generate enough clean energy to power 180,000 homes

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Replace around 30% of the former generation capacity of the coal powered Cottam Power Station

Support regional and national targets for reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050

Improve energy resilience by diversifying energy production and storing energy for when it is needed most

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Contribute towards strategic improvements to local ecology and biodiversity

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Deliver affordable energy, as the electricity generated from solar is already cheaper than electricity generated from fossil fuels and the project would be subsidy free without taxpayer funding 

The Project

The Cottam Solar Project is named after its grid connection point at the existing National Grid substation at the Cottam Power Station. The proposals involve a series of four site areas, referred to as Cottam 1, 2, 3a and 3b, which will host solar arrays, grid connection infrastructure and energy storage facilities. The proposals also involve cable route corridors, accesses and environmental mitigation and enhancement measures. The sites are located approximately 6.5km south east and 4km north east of Gainsborough.

The figure below shows the typical components involved in a solar project. For this project, the infrastructure is spread over multiple sites. 

Figure not to scale and for indicative purposes only.

Figure not to scale and for indicative purposes only.

West Burton Solar Project

We are also developing plans for a similar project connecting into the West Burton Power Station. We recognise the proximity of these projects and have been working to develop the proposals in parallel. This has included coordinating our consultation activities on both projects with joint information events and opportunities to provide feedback.

You can find out more about the West Burton Solar Project through our dedicated project website: www.westburtonsolar.co.uk.

The Planning Process

Given the amount of renewable energy this project would generate, it is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). This means that, to gain permission to build the project, we have submitted a Development Consent Order (DCO) application to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS).

The process requires us to properly consult with statutory consultees (such as the local planning authorities) and with local communities in accordance with the relevant legislation (the Planning Act 2008).

We are committed to working with communities throughout the development of our proposals.

You can learn more about the process, including by watching a short video, on the Planning Inspectorate’s website here.

Project timeline

All dates are indicative and remain subject change

  • 2021 Q4

    First phase of community consultation to introduce ourselves and receive feedback on our early stage proposals to help identify and understand any local impacts

  • 2022 Q1

    Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Scoping Request submitted to the Planning Inspectorate

  • 2022 Q2

    Publication of our Statement of Community Consultation (SoCC) and ongoing development of our EIA

  • 2022 Q3

    Second phase of consultation with community and technical stakeholders, including sharing the findings of our Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR)

  • 2023 Q1

    Submission of DCO application to the Planning Inspectorate for public examination

  • 2023 Q3

    DCO Examination commences

  • 2024 Q2

    DCO Examination finishes

  • 2024 Q4

    DCO decision

Document Library

View and download our community consultation documents. This library will be updated as the proposals develop and throughout the consultation process. The material presented at our phase one information events is available here to view and download.

Phase One

DCO Application Documents

  • DCO application documents are hosted and available to view on our project page of the Planning Inspectorate’s website (under the ‘Documents’ tab of the project page on the PINS website, which can be accessed here.

Acceptance

Frequently Asked Questions

Read our answers to frequently asked questions. These FAQs will be updated as the proposals develop and throughout the consultation process.

  • The decommissioning of the coal-powered Cottam Power Station presents the opportunity – and the need – to repower the region with clean, green energy, while utilising existing grid infrastructure.

    We need to significantly reduce carbon emissions in the UK, while also developing solutions that ensure we have a reliable source of affordable energy. We are committed to ambitious climate change targets while currently experiencing some of the highest electricity costs in Europe, often relying on increasingly expensive electricity and gas imports.

    This means we need to increase our supply of low carbon electricity. The Cottam Solar Project / West Burton Solar Project is well placed to contribute towards this. With energy storage, the project will be able to provide clean power to people’s homes when they need it the most. Energy storage helps consumers save money by having more control of their energy use.

  • Our proposals for the Cottam Solar Project involve around 2,800 acres (1,150 hectares) of land which could host solar panels and associated infrastructure. This is dispersed over three sites.

    At this early stage of our proposals, we haven’t yet confirmed how the solar panels and associated infrastructure will be configured across these sites. These details will be confirmed through ongoing technical work and informed by consultation with local communities.

    Using this land for solar could generate 600 MW of renewable energy. That’s enough to power 180,000 homes.

  • There is a clear need for renewable, affordable and reliable energy in the UK. Our commitments to net zero, and the associated closure of all UK coal fired power stations by 2024, means that we need to increase our supply of low carbon electricity.

    Developing large-scale solar projects will help keep the lights on, without carbon emissions, and at a low cost to consumers.

    Solar technologies complement the UK’s growing supply of renewable energy generated through wind power. Together, this diversification of renewable energy generation will support a reliable supply throughout the year.

    Although a significant project, the Cottam Solar Project only replaces around 30% of the former generation capacity of the coal powered Cottam Power Station. This means there is still a need for further renewable energy generation in the region.

    We recognise there are a number of proposals being brought forward at the moment. We are in close contact with other developers to understand their proposals and explore opportunities for coordination and cooperation. This may help us to achieve efficiencies and reduce potential cumulative impacts to local communities.

  • The decommissioning of the Cottam and West Burton coal fired power stations presents an opportunity to utilise existing grid connection infrastructure. This reduces the potential new impacts of a solar project, and we have secured an agreement with National Grid for this.

    Our team has undertaken an extensive process of site selection to identify areas of land in proximity to the grid connection point at the existing power station site. We believe the use of several separate land parcels reduces the impact on the local area in comparison to fewer larger sites.

    Our team has identified sites suitable for solar energy generation, and has considered a range of environmental factors such as the existing use and quality of the land, potential environmental or heritage designations, and the visibility of the site from local areas. The use of all of our sites has been agreed with relevant landowners.

    We recognise that there are trade-offs in the site selection process, and that local communities and residents will have comments on this. We are committed to consulting with communities on our proposals and exploring further mitigation where appropriate.

  • We will be undertaking multiple phases of consultation with the local community and stakeholders on our proposals. We recently launched the first phase of this, which includes posting information to local properties and holding events in the local area.

    Our first phase of consultation is an opportunity for us to introduce our proposals at an early stage and understand community feedback on this. We want to hear about any key issues communities would like us to consider and opportunities for us to explore through our design development.

    Feedback will help us to refine our proposals. We will then undertake a further round of consultation next year, where we will be able to share more detail on our design, including environmental information and how we have responded to the first phase of consultation.

    Our communications channels are open and we encourage anyone interested in our proposals to get in touch with any questions they may have. You can provide your feedback on our digital engagement platform available via this website, or by returning a completed feedback form to FREEPOST: CAWB Solar Projects. You will not need a stamp.

  • The panels are made primarily from glass, aluminium, and silicon. The type of silicon can be either monocrystalline or polycrystalline. The raw materials for both are the same although the processing of the materials is different when manufacturing the panel.

    The wires that connect the panels are copper and there are small amounts of silver and solder used within the panel to connect the individual cells together. All panels are made of these same materials and so there is no difference in the decommissioning and recycling process.

    Due to the long panel life, the need for recycling of panels has been very limited so far. Recycling companies currently remove the aluminium frames and copper wiring for recycling and then shred the remainder of the panel with the resultant product being considered to be impure crushed glass as the other materials makes up a low proportion of the panel’s weight. Recent improvements in recycling mean that over 95% of the individual materials in the crushed glass can then be separated out for reuse.

    Other panel types such as ‘thin film’ panels are not used for ground mounted solar farms. There are no issues, such as toxicity, which prevent the safe recycling of ground mounted solar panels.

  • Panels are normally mounted on steel piles which are either driven or screwed into the ground depending on the type of frame used. In some locations the mounting structures need to take account of underground archaeology. The most common solutions are to either design the site to avoid putting panels on the area of archaeology completely, or where the archaeology is less sensitive, the frames are mounted on concrete bases (sometimes called feet or shoes). The concrete bases sit on top of the ground so as not to disturb anything below ground which also makes them easy to remove when decommissioning the site.

  • IGP have identified the site areas for each project as being suitable for the Cottam Solar Project to generate 600MW and the West Burton Solar Project to generate 480MW. The generation capacity of the sites is part of the grid connection agreement that has been signed with National Grid. We are still working to refine our proposals for the exact number and layout of panels and location of energy storage for each project. More detailed information on the layout of each site area, including the positioning of the substations and energy storage, will be made available and consulted on with the local community as part of the phase two consultation next year before the final proposals are submitted to the Planning Inspectorate.

    The Development Consent Order (DCO) would only grant consent for IGP to construct and operate within the area that is proposed, and generate up to the 600MW and 480MW capacities agreed with National Grid. IGP therefore do not intend to, and for planning and grid reasons could not, expand the Cottam and West Burton Solar Projects. Any future development would be subject to its own separate planning application and consultation process.

  • The Environmental Impact Assessment will assess all potential flooding impact on a site by site basis. Panels are supported by frames placed into the ground so water can easily flow underneath the panels. The frames do not have a large surface area, and so water can be absorbed by the ground underneath the panels. Swales can also be designed into the site to minimize the risk of flooding. i.e. shallow, broad and vegetated channels designed to store and/or convey runoff and remove pollutants. Solar Panels can be placed into flood zones which flood with a water level up to 1 meter and operate as normal, making them an appropriate development for these areas.

  • As we are still in the early stages of our proposals many of our decisions about suppliers are yet to be made. We are currently working to create a robust supply chain plan that will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate and independently assessed and examined as part of our planning application. Island Green Power have signed up to Solar Energy UK’s commitments to ‘condemn and oppose any abuse of human rights including forced labour anywhere in the global solar supply chain.’

    You can view the Solar Energy UK commitments and the list of signatories here.

 Have Your Say

Please get in touch with our team with any questions or comments you may have. You can contact us by:

Emailing: info@cottamsolar.co.uk

Calling: 0808 1691848

Writing to: FREEPOST CAWB Solar Projects

Click on the button below to register your interest in being kept informed of the project as our proposals develop.