PLANS are in the pipeline for a new solar farm in Bridgwater which would provide enough power to meet the annual electrical needs of about 20,000 homes.
A report on Somerset County Council’s website indicates it would be to the north of Saltlands Avenue, near the household recycling centre and the Wessex Water processing facility.
The solar farm would be built by Enso Energy, a company based in Gloucestershire, whose plans also include the construction of a battery storage system that would supply electricity to the local electricity network at times of peak energy demand.
The county council is looking to invest more than £3m as part of its capital programme for the coming year which will be discussed as part of wider budget proposals at a virtual cabinet meeting next Monday (February 8).
The authority claims the investment would generate a steady commercial return and help meet its aim to become carbon-neutral by 2030.
If the proposals are approved, the council could spend £3,086,200 on the new facility – £2,855,200 in the next 12 months and the remaining £231,000 by April 2023.
No planning application for a solar farm has yet been submitted, either to the county council or to Sedgemoor District Council, which is the local planning authority.
Somerset County Council’s budget proposals (including Council Tax levels) will be debated by the full council virtually on February 10 from 10am.
