The decommissioning of Cottam power station in Nottinghamshire released spare grid connection capacity in the region.
Tillbridge Solar Limited – a joint venture partnership between Tribus Clean Energy and Recurrent Energy (a Canadian Solar company) – has designed a solar power and battery storage project to make use of the available connection capacity.
The scale of the project means that it is recognised as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). There were 150 NSIPs in England and Wales at various stages of development in early 2024. Each NSIP requires a form of planning permission called a Development Consent Order, or ‘DCO’.
An agreement is in place between Tillbridge Solar Limited and National Grid for the scheme to connect to the National Grid by 2028.
Public consultation
An important part of the development process is communication and consultation with the local community, which we began in July 2022. The feedback we receive is important to us and helped us to evolve the scheme to address local concerns, such as potential impacts on farming, local wildlife, and public rights of way.
Over the statutory consultation period the website has been viewed a total of 9,690 times, with just over 225 daily visits. 21,237 clicks were made through to links or pages, with a daily average of 494. We’re also writing directly to around 5,000 properties in the vicinity of the project and sending letters or emails to over 120 stakeholders and representative groups. We’re confident that the work that has gone into consulting on and developing our design will be reflected in the outcome of our DCO application.
The Scheme will make an important contribution to the three national energy policy aims
- Net zero and the importance of urgently deploying low-carbon generation assets at scale
- Security of supply (geographically and technologically diverse supplies)
- Affordability and reducing exposure to volatile international markets
175
consultation event attendees
116
responses during statutory consultation
9,690
consultation website views
175
consultation event attendees
116
responses during statutory consultation
9,690
consultation website views
Key features at a glance
c.1350 hectare site.
Power generation capacity to meet the energy needs of approximately 300,000 homes.
Seeks to use lower grade, non-best and most versatile agricultural land.
Retains existing woodland and hedgerows where possible, and stands to create a net increase in biodiversity.
Sits in a low-risk flood zone (less than 0.1% chance per year).
No closures to public rights of way within the main site (even temporarily).
Minimised effect on residential properties, with landscaping to mitigate identified visual impacts.
