UK’s largest solar project approved, joins 2.1 GW cluster
UK’s largest solar project approved, joins 2.1 GW cluster
Development consent granted for 1,400 hectare Tillbridge Solar Project. The 500 MW solar plant is the 17th energy project to secure final approval through the UK government’s nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP) pipeline since July 2024 and the fourth in the local area.
From PV Magazine
Quick deployment of large-scale solar is needed in the United Kingdom to achieve government clean generation targets for 2030.
Image: RenEnergy
The Tillbridge Solar Project has been granted final approval in England, clearing the way for Tribus Clean Energy and Recurrent Energy to begin work at the site.
Located east of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, the project has secured a 500 MW grid connection and will be developed on a 1,400-hectare site – the largest UK solar project approval to date. The PV plant is expected to make up around 900 hectares of the site, with the remaining 500 hectares left undeveloped.
Tillbridge is the 17th major renewable energy project approved through the UK government’s nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP) for major infrastructure projects since the Labour Party secured a majority in the July 2024 general election. It is also the latest approval in a cluster of large-scale solar projects that have secured development consent in the local area.
Four utility-scale projects with a combined capacity of nearly 2.1 GW have been approved on sites with boundaries within 8 km of Gainsborough, a rural town with a population of around 21,000. Tillbridge Solar Project joins the 480 MW West Burton, 500 MW Gate Burton and 600 MW Cottam Solar, which was the largest capacity project to date when approved in September 2024. The approvals have been met with some opposition from local campaigners, who argue it is inappropriate use of agricultural land.
Major utility-scale projects are needed quickly for the UK government to achieve its clean energy targets for 2030. The government wants to generate at least 95% of electricity from clean sources by then, with a generation mix that includes 45 GW of solar. The latest provisional capacity figures from the UK government recorded 19.6 GW of deployed solar at the end of August 2025.
In a press release, Tribus Clean Energy CEO Luke Murray said he was delighted to secure consent, with the project entering the construction phase. “We’re committed to continue our work with local communities to ensure the project is delivered in a way that respects and works with the area,” he said.
Keith McKinney, General Manager, UK & Ireland at Recurrent Energy, added that the company will “develop the project in a way that gives back to the environment around it, and supports the local communities it is rooted in.”