Opponents call on UK govt to put solar farm on hold

Opponents of a plan to build Europe's largest solar energy project in the English county of Lincolnshire have formed a protest group to urge the government to block the idea.

The Meridian Action Group, which claims to have more than 400 members, is angry that decisions about major energy projects are now made by the central government and not by local governments, which handled such issues until recently.

All solar energy projects capable of generating more than 50 megawatts are now known as "nationally significant infrastructure projects", or NSIPs, and considered too significant to the United Kingdom's energy needs to be decided at the local level.

Councilor Colin Davie, who is on the executive of Lincolnshire County Council's economic development, environment, and planning committee, told the BBC: "I have repeatedly said that these enormous infrastructure projects should not be dumped in our county and ruin the quality of life of our residents. Our agricultural land should be protected."

The Meridian Solar Farm, if approved, would generate 750 megawatts of energy, which is enough to power more than 200,000 homes. Currently, Europe's largest solar project is in Germany, south of Leipzig, and can generate 650 megawatts.

The Lincolnshire project is also set to include a battery storage facility and 12 kilometers of above-ground cabling to carry power to the nearest spur of the national grid network.

The company behind the proposed project, Meridian Solar, has said it would help the UK meet "the urgent need for cleaner forms of generation to replace fossil fuels" and "make a significant contribution to energy security" while playing "a key role in accelerating the country's transition to net-zero".

The Meridian Solar Farm would cover 1,012 hectares of farmland, which is the equivalent of 2,800 soccer pitches, south of the town of Spalding and would be the largest, but by no means only, solar power project in the rural county.

Two other NSIP solar energy projects have already been approved recently, at Mallard Pass, near Stamford, and Gate Burton, near Gainsborough. And there are at least 10 other large solar projects on the way for Lincolnshire, which is seen as especially suitable because of its fl at topography and undeveloped farmland. But campaigners say it plays a vital role in the production of the UK's food and should not be compromised.

Professor Janet Bellamy, an expert in food processing at the University of Lincoln, said at a recent packed public meeting about the project that the industrialization of Lincolnshire's fertile farmland could turn it into a "death valley", with a severely damaged ability to produce fresh vegetables and a limited contribution to national food security as a result.