The country’s biggest solar power project has been given the green light after Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, vowed to push ahead with big infrastructure schemes despite strong local opposition.
The Cottam Solar Project will straddle the Nottinghamshire-Lincolnshire border and power the equivalent of 180,000 homes.
Construction should start next year and once the 600 megawatt (MW) solar farm is complete it will dwarf the nation’s existing generation of large solar farms, most of which are closer to 50MW.
The solar scheme is the fourth that Miliband has approved since taking office as he moves to hit Labour’s stretching manifesto pledge of 100 per cent clean power by 2030.
In July, he gave planning approval to three big solar projects despite protests from some