EDF Renewables UK is seeking the views of the local community on its proposals to develop the 47.5 MW Trelion Solar Farm in Cornwall, to the north of Grampound Road and west of St Stephen. Once fully operational the proposed solar farm will be capable of generating enough low carbon electricity for up to 9,562* homes a year.
The public consultation will run from Wednesday, 31st January to Friday, 23rd February, enabling local residents to provide feedback on the proposals ahead of the submission of a planning application to Cornwall Council later this year.
Two in-person consultation events are being held at St Stephen Community Centre on Monday 5th February from 4pm – 7pm and on Tuesday 6th February from 10am – 2pm. Members of the project team will be on hand to provide information and answer questions and all are welcome to attend.
A key building block in the UK’s future energy mix, solar is one of the most cost-efficient forms of electricity generation. The Government is currently aiming for a five-fold increase in solar energy by 2035. Solar also plays an important role in Cornwall Council’s Carbon Neutral Cornwall Action Plan which sets a target for the authority to become carbon neutral by 2030.
Amid growing concern about climate change, the 47.5 MW Trelion Solar Farm could contribute to saving around 21,598 tonnes** of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
EDF Renewables UK is committed to ensuring that Trelion Solar Farm delivers local benefits, with proposals for a community fund of £19,000 each year to support local projects for the 40-year lifetime of the project. As well as a commitment to maintain as many existing trees and hedges as possible on the site, there will also be a net gain in biodiversity through the planting of new wildflower meadows, hedgerows and trees.
A grid connection has already been secured for the project and a number of ecological and feasibility surveys of the site have been carried out.
Grant Folley, Head of Origination and Planning at EDF Renewables UK, said, “This is a great site for a solar farm, with plenty of sun and an agreed grid connection, meaning that the project is well prepared to contribute to UK climate change targets and the transition to a green energy future.
“EDF Renewables UK is firmly committed to engaging with local residents and being a good neighbour, and that’s why a community benefit fund and plans to enhance biodiversity on site are a key part of the proposal.”
“We are looking forward to sharing more detailed information about Trelion Solar Farm with the local community and listening to feedback about what else we can do to create a net zero future where clean energy powers our lives.”
Information about the proposal, together with contact details for the project team, will also be available on the Trelion Solar Farm page of the EDF Renewables UK website: edf-re.uk/our-sites/trelion-solar-farm/ from 31 January with an online survey available for those who are unable to attend the consultation events.
ENDS
EDF Renewables UK is holding a public consultation from Wednesday, 31st January to Friday, 23rd February. Local people are welcome to contact the project team. Contact details are on the Trelion Solar Farm page of the EDF Renewables UK website: edf-re.uk/our-sites/trelion-solar-farm/
Local residents are invited to attend public consultation events at St Stephen Community Centre, 18 Fore St, St Stephen, Saint Austell PL26 7NN, on Monday 5th February from 4pm – 7pm and Tuesday 6th February from 10am – 2pm.
It is likely that a planning application will be submitted to Cornwall Council in Spring 2024. Cornwall Council will carry out its own public consultation as part of the process to determine the planning application.
If the development gets planning permission, site preparation could begin in 2025. Installation of the solar farm will take approximately 9 months.
*Based on the average domestic electricity consumption per home (temperature corrected) per the Energy Consumption in the UK (published July 2019, Table C9 of ECUK: Consumption data tables).
** Based on BEIS’s ‘all fossil fuels’ emissions statistic of 450 tonnes of carbon dioxide pre GWh of electricity supplied in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics *published July 2019, p96).
