UK Approves 50 MW Solar and Battery Storage Project

The UK approved the Peartree Hill Solar Farm project, a solar and battery storage development with capacity exceeding 50 MW, the Planning Inspectorate said Thursday. RWE Renewables UK Solar and Storage submitted an application to build the project on Feb. 21, 2025, and the Planning Inspectorate accepted it for examination a month later, the agency said. The examining authority completed a six-month review before recommending approval to the Secretary of State on April 2, 2026, after gathering evidence from the public, statutory consultees and other interested parties. Local residents, the local authority and other stakeholders participated throughout, the Planning Inspectorate said. It completed the review within the statutory timetable under the Planning Act 2008. The Peartree Hill project became the 109th energy application approved from 177 applications examined to date, it said.