Nissan Sunderland: Solar farm expansion plans approved

Nissan already has a solar farm and wind turbines next to its Sunderland plant

Car-maker Nissan has been granted permission to expand the solar farm at its plant in Sunderland.

The company said the 20MW installation would double the amount of onsite renewable electricity generated and cover 20% of its needs.

The new farm featuring 37,000 panels is due to be completed by May, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It was approved by Sunderland City Council and will be installed beside Nissan's existing solar and wind farms.

Nissan, who first installed wind turbines in 2005, said the power generated renewably will be enough to build every 100% electric Nissan LEAF sold in Europe.

Alan Johnson, vice-president of manufacturing at Nissan Sunderland, said: "The expansion of our solar farm is an integral part of the Nissan EV36Zero project and the company's journey to carbon neutrality."

The new farm is one of 10 potential solar schemes planned under Nissan's renewable energy project.

It will be run by Engenera and aims to operate for 40 years, after which the site will be restored to its existing condition.

In October, battery partner Envision AESC also received planning permission for its new gigafactory to be built next to the vehicle plant.