Huge solar farm planned across county border

The complex could generate enough power for more than 200,000 homes, developers said

Plans for a huge solar farm covering the area of 2,800 football pitches have been submitted to the government.

The One Earth solar farm would cover 1,600 hectares (3,954 acres) south of Dunham-on-Trent, near East Markham in Nottinghamshire, and stretch over the Lincolnshire border.

The facility would be able to generate up to 740MW of electricity - enough energy to power more than 200,000 homes, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

The development, largely covering farmland, would sit across the borders of West Lindsey, Bassetlaw and Newark and Sherwood districts.

An application for the scheme has been submitted to the government by PS Renewables and Danish energy company Ørsted.

The companies carried out a six-week consultation last year, which they said made residents more accepting of the designs, according to the LDRS.

The solar farm would sit either side of the River Trent

The project has been categorised as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) so it will be determined by Ed Miliband, secretary of state for energy security and net zero, rather than the local councils.

The LDRS said a decision on the scheme could be made by spring 2026.

The solar panels would use a grid connection at the decommissioned High Marnham power station in Nottinghamshire.

A statement on the project's website said: "The UK has committed to reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 and fully decarbonising the power supply by 2035.

"This means that older forms of power generation, such as the coal-fired power station at High Marnham, are being taken out of use and need to be replaced with renewable energy sources.

"That means there is an urgent need for clean, affordable ways of generating energy.

"One Earth Solar Farm could make a significant contribution to this goal by producing enough energy for more than 200,000 homes each year."