Plans for Wokingham Borough Council’s first solar farm near Barkham are looking bright, following an official grid connection offer from Scottish and Southern Electric Networks (SSEN).
The farm could start feeding power into the grid by August 2026, more than a decade earlier than the 2037 the council was advised of in March this year.
This is a significant and positive step forward in delivering the project, according to Wokingham Borough Council.
Once up and running, the farm could generate enough green renewable energy to power thousands of homes and businesses.
In addition to supporting the carbon reduction targets in the Council’s Climate Emergency Action Plan, the project will also help raise income by selling power generated into the grid.
Stephen Conway, leader of the Council, said: “This is very positive news.
“This is an important project for the council as, not only will the new solar farm help us with our ambition to make Wokingham a greener and more sustainable borough, but it will also help generate a profit that we can use to fund services and projects which benefit people living across the borough.
“We’re incredibly lucky to be in a place where we can consider moving this scheme forward. “It’s a real testament to the work which has been done to build a strong working relationship with SSEN and National Grid, as well as their confidence in us to actually deliver the new solar farm.”
A series of pre-construction surveys and assessments have started on site, including topographical surveys and archaeological investigations, which will take place over the coming months.
Work has started to produce detailed designs for the site that show the layout of solar panels, tree planting, landscaping and the new greenway route, which is aimed at better connecting Arborfield, Barkham and Finchampstead to the existing network of public rights of way to the north.
An update on the project and agreement with SSEN was provided for discussion at the council’s Climate Emergency Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Monday, December 11.
