Harworth Estates and RES, one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies, have secured planning consent for the installation of an 5MW solar farm in Thorne, Doncaster.
RES plan to install a solar array on 30 acres of land on the former Thorne Colliery following Doncaster Council’s decision to grant reserved matters planning consent. The construction of the array, which will be capable of generating enough energy to power over 1,000 family homes, will begin in summer 2015.
RES has also pledged £25,000 towards the Moorends Miners Welfare and Community Development Centre as part of the consent. RES launched a public consultation on the proposed farm last year and local residents suggested that any scheme should include support for the facility that provides training and counselling to local residents whilst also serving as a venue for social events.
This is the second solar farm planning consent secured by Harworth and RES this year. The first, at the former Arkwright Colliery in Derbyshire, was granted consent in February and will also be constructed from the Summer.
Hannah Moxon, Assistant Management Surveyor in Harworth’s Natural Resources division, said: “I’m delighted that Doncaster Council has recognised the benefits of transforming this former colliery landholding into an asset of lasting value. We have an excellent working relationship with RES and we look forward to working with them to get the scheme operational by the end of this year.”
RES project manager Eliot Davies said: “From detailed site investigations, RES has always believed that this is a great site for a solar farm and we have designed a project that will maximise renewable energy generation while minimising impacts on the local environment and local people.
“We are also delighted that Thorne Colliery solar farm is going ahead because we can donate £25,000 to the Moorends Miners Welfare Centre. We hope this will go some way towards securing the future of this vital community facility.”
Harworth has developed a series of renewable energy schemes on its land in partnership with a number of leading energy companies, creating new clean energy to power thousands of homes and businesses. The company’s portfolio currently includes three operational wind schemes and three operational solar farms. Harworth’s Natural Resources division is dedicated to developing low-carbon energy developments. It has a pipeline of projects with the potential to deliver 170MW of power from its low-carbon energy schemes – enough to power 50,000 family homes.