Delayed solar farm project could start in 2027

A council's delayed solar farm project could start next year if senior members approve a proposal later this month.

Wokingham Borough Council paused the planned Barkham Solar Farm in January after the government revised its renewable energy timetable.

But the council now says building the solar farm and connecting it to the national electricity system could start in September 2027, with a full connection from 2029.

Councillors scrutinised the plans at a meeting on Monday and the council's executive will be asked to decide if it should progress on 30 July.

The solar farm on council-owned farmland north of California Country Park, west of Finchampstead and to the south of Barkham, would produce enough electricity to power about 9,400 homes every year.

The council anticipates it would generate an annual surplus of at least £1m over its 40-year life but it would initially have a "non-firm" connection to the electricity network if built next year.

That means the amount of power fed into the system can be curtailed when capacity is constrained.

The council said it expects "very low levels of curtailment" of between 0.04% and 0.06% until 2029, when it hopes a firm connection would be made.

That would give it full, agreed capacity to the network whenever it is generating power.

Earlier this year the council said the lack of certainty about the full connection meant it would not have been "responsible" for it to start the "multi-million-pound contract".

But senior officers said not accepting an offer this summer would mean exposure "to further inflationary pressures, contractor repricing and the risk that currently available commercial terms may no longer be available".

They said further delay would push the start of the project back to spring 2028.

Making a decision this summer would "enable energisation at the earliest opportunity and avoid the financial and programme impacts associated with delay", it said.