The Springwell solar park has secured a major planning milestone after the UK Government granted it a Development Consent Order (DCO), enabling the project to progress towards construction.
Located between Sleaford and Lincoln in Lincolnshire, the park is set to become the UK’s largest solar project in terms of power generation, with a total capacity of 800 MW. The project is being developed in partnership by EDF subsidiary EDF Power Solutions UK and UK-based Luminous Energy. The site is expected to start producing electricity in 2029.
Additionally, Norway’s Statkraft has launched public consultations on plans for a 500 MW solar park in East Yorkshire. The statutory consultation on the Mylen Leah solar park runs from 16 April to 28 May 2026. Statkraft stated that it plans to submit an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) in late 2026.
Since 2010, solar capacity has been growing by 1.2 GW/year on average, reaching 17.5 GW at the end of 2024. Solar accounted for 5% of the power generation