This is the second approval Aura Power has received in November following a vote for approval by committee members in Darlington earlier this month for their Burtree Lane solar farm.

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George Wilyman, Planning Manager at Aura Power said “Since submission of the application, we have worked hard with Planning Officers at North East Lincolnshire and statutory consultees to get the decision over the line. This is a great site for solar development and has received much support locally. We are excited to move forward with the construction phase and contribute to North East Lincolnshire’s commendable ambition to become “the UK’s leading region for low-carbon energy and the UK capital of the renewable energy industry“. As well as producing clean renewable energy at low cost, we are also offering a yearly community fund for the lifetime of the solar farm which will go towards refurbishment work on Aylesbury church as well as other local projects and educational initiatives”. 

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The region has a longstanding relationship with  onshore and off-shore wind development, large-scale solar is an excellent complementary technology which can generate power predictably and at a low cost. 

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Grimsby Solar Farm would add approximately 50 MW to the local renewable energy capacity and would generate approximately 94,000 MWh per year,  making a significant contribution to local targets, as well as contributing to the UK’s overall Net Zero and Energy Security targets.

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The site includes extensive ecological enhancements.  Wildflowers will be sown across the site with 3.4ha of woodland planted around the perimeter. As well as creating new habitats for wildlife this is also designed to screen the solar farm entirely from view in time and improve drainage to alleviate flooding that local residents are currently experiencing. These enhancements have been calculated to boost biodiversity by 71%, over baseline conditions.

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The solar farm also includes a Community Benefit Fund of £20,000 per year, equating to £700,000 over the 35-year operational lifetime of the development. 

Construction is expected to start in 2024 and the local community will be notified in advance when dates have been confirmed.

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Grimsby solar farm forms part of Aura Power’s 420MWp of solar pv and battery storage planning approvals this year alone, including nearly 200MWp of solar projects ready to build in the next 2 years. And has a further 250MWp of solar proposals currently awaiting a decision. Aura Power is working on a maturing pipeline of solar pv and battery energy storage not only in the UK, but in Europe and North America.