Major Wrexham solar farm plans out to consultation

Lightsource BP, a global leader in large scale solar energy generation, has developed proposals for the Plas Power Solar & Energy Storage Project near Coedpoeth, just outside the city centre.

It is now carrying out the statutory consultation on the finalised proposals and draft planning application prior to submission to Planning Environment Decisions Wales.

The development will be located immediately west of the A483, made up of parcels of land to the north and south of the A525 Ruthin Road. A new access route would be created from the site onto the A525 as part of the plans.

Plans cover the installation and operation of ground mounted solar panels, an energy storage facility and associated infrastructure along with landscaping and habitat creation for wildlife on a 336-acre site.

This would feature an electrical generation station with an installed generating capacity of between 10 and 350 megawatts, meaning the proposal falls within the definition of a ‘Development of National Significance’.

A design and access statement prepared by consultants Stantec says there will be a community benefit fund of £1,000 per megawatt generated as a one-off payment upon commissioning of the solar farm.

RPS has carried out the landscape and ecology reports.

Finer details including a traffic management plan will be developed with the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project once appointed.

You can access the consultation on Lightsource BP’s website at lightsourcebp.com/uk/project/plas-power/

The consultation closes on April 9, with a view to submitting a planning application later this year. Lightsource hopes construction will begin in 2025 and the facility operational in 2026.

According to the design and access statement there are likely to be 100 construction workers involved during the build, but there will be a maximum of 75 staff on the site at any one time.

It adds: “The proposals will deliver biodiversity net benefit across the site and can continue to be grazed by livestock during the solar farm’s operational life.

“Moreover, once the operational life of the proposed development comes to an end, which is expected to be approximately 40 years from construction, the agricultural fields can be restored in full to their current condition.”

The statement claims the energy generated from the proposed development would be enough to power 22,700 homes per year, offsetting over 15,821 tonnes of CO2 annually, the equivalent of taking around 10,881 cars off the road.