East Pye Solar Ltd, part of Island Green Power Ltd (IGP), is introducing plans for a utility scale solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) on land near Long Stratton in South Norfolk, England.
Known as East Pye Solar (the “Project”), the development would comprise the installation of ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and a battery energy storage system (BESS) with infrastructure that connects the Project to the existing 400KV overhead line. This runs north to south between Norwich Main and Bramford substations.
East Pye Solar is anticipated as being able to deliver up to 500 megawatts (MW) of electricity. This is enough clean, reliable energy to power approximately 115,000 homes annually. The Project will make a significant contribution to meeting national targets to triple solar power to 50 GW by 2030 and decarbonise our electricity systems to reach net zero by 2050. It would also remove reliance on fuel imports, bolstering the UK’s energy security and protecting consumers from price volatility.
The size of the Project and potential energy generation means that East Pye Solar is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP)and must apply for planning permission by submitting an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO). This is determined by the Secretary of State at central government level, with the local authorities hosting the development acting as key consultees in that process.
East Pye Solar Limited submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) scoping report for East Pye Solar to the Planning Inspectorate on Wednesday 15 January 2025. This marks the next milestone in the development of the proposals for the Project after the first phase of community consultation, which took place last year from Wednesday 23 October to Friday 6 December 2024.
Over the next 42 days, the Planning Inspectorate will consult on the East Pye Solar proposals with stakeholders including Norfolk County Council and South Norfolk Council, Statutory Environmental Bodies (SEBs), Parish Councils and other groups with specific expertise related to environmental protection. This feedback will then be used to provide East Pye Solar Limited with a Scoping Opinion setting out key areas that must be addressed as part of the application for development consent for East Pye Solar. The Scoping Report can be viewed via the Documents page.
Further information about the Scoping process and next steps can be found here.
First Phase of Community Consultation
We would like to thank all those who have participated in our first phase of community consultation, whether this has been through attending one of our events, contacting our communication channels, or providing feedback. Your views and comments have helped to improve our understanding of the local area and the aspects of the East Pye Solar that you consider important for us to prioritise as we develop our proposals.
Further to developing more detailed proposals for the project, we will then carry out a second phase of consultation. This is a statutory phase of consultation and is intended to give you the opportunity to comment on our updated proposals and how they have evolved since this initial consultation. We expect to carry out this second stage of consultation in Summer 2025.
We will continue to engage with local councils, community groups and technical consultees, and welcome feedback via our communication channels, which can be found at the bottom of this page.
Where we are now
Contributing to climate targets and decarbonising our electricity supply
East Pye Solar will contribute towards the UK Government’s goals of tripling solar power to 50GW by 2030 and achieving Net Zero by 2050.
Co-existing and enhancing the natural environment
East Pye Solar will be designed in a way that boosts and enhances local wildlife by delivering a net gain in biodiversity.
Norfolk’s diverse energy mix
East Pye Solar will boost Norfolk’s emerging renewable energy industry and will secure clean, affordable energy while providing investment and job opportunities in the county.
Community and local benefits
We are committed to working with the local community to identify and define community benefits.
Stay informed
To stay informed about East Pye Solar, you can sign up to receive updates directly to your inbox. Please click here to register with us and be kept up to date with any news and developments regarding the proposals.
To see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), please visit our FAQ-dedicated page here. When the public consultation begins, all consultation materials will be available for you to print, view and download via our Documents webpage, available via this link.
Contact us
We have established dedicated communications lines for East Pye Solar Park, listed below, to ensure that you are always able to get in touch with a member of our stakeholder correspondence team, from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday. In the meantime, please register with us via this link to be directly notified of the public consultation launch and to keep informed about East Pye Solar.
Please feel free to get in touch using any of the communications lines below. We look forward to hearing from you.
· Email: info@eastpyesolar.co.uk
· Freephone information line: 0808 281 3175
· Freepost: FREEPOST East Pye Solar