Renewable energy company, Low Carbon, has announced it is in the early stages of developing proposals for a new solar and energy storage park on Romney Marsh, Kent. With an anticipated generation capacity of 500 MW, the project would generate enough clean energy to power 140,000 homes, which is roughly 20% of the homes in Kent.
The approximately 600-hectare site is located near the village of Old Romney within the Folkestone and Hythe District. The area available for development includes land to the north and south of the A259 between Brenzett to the northwest of the site and New Romney to the east.
James Hartley-Bond, Project Development Director at Low Carbon, said:
“We are pleased to announce our plans for South Kent Energy Park, which once built will play a crucial role in providing a clean, secure, and affordable source of energy generation in support of the UK’s decarbonisation targets.
“We look forward to engaging with the local community and providing the opportunity for those who live and work closest to the project to learn more about Low Carbon’s emerging proposals.
“In delivering South Kent Energy Park, we want to give the local community the opportunity to collaborate with us and shape the project from an early stage of the design process.
“Alongside data from our ongoing environmental surveys, we will use the feedback we receive to inform the design of the project. We develop our projects responsibly, and listening to the community is integral to that process.”
A project website has been set up – www.southkentenergypark.co.uk – and interested parties are invited to provide their comments via the online feedback form or during one of the in-person events scheduled for 26 and 27 November. An online event will also take place on 12 December.
The proposals also include the infrastructure required to export the electricity generated by South Kent Energy Park to the national grid.
Due to its size and energy contribution, South Kent Energy Park is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project. It will require an application for development consent to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate, with the consent determined by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband.
Earlier this year, Miliband granted development consent for Low Carbon’s Gate Burton Energy Park project, which once built will provide enough solar capacity to power approximately 160,000 homes with clean energy.
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