The East is set to become home to the UK’s largest solar farms as part of ambitious government plans to make Britain a net zero ‘clean energy superpower’. But how could businesses benefit if the controversial projects get the go ahead?

Plans are in place for a series of solar farms covering thousands of acres of countryside across East Anglia.

One of these projects, known as High Grove, would be the biggest solar farm in the UK – almost 16 times the size of the current largest.

Many council leaders fear the region is “under attack” from the proposals, which would take up agricultural land.

Yet developers argue the solar farms will not only generate enough electricity to power hundreds of thousands of UK homes, but also create thousands of jobs locally.

High Grove would cover 4,000 acres of land on five sites close to Dereham and Swaffham in Norfolk on either side of the A47High Grove would cover 4,000 acres of land on five sites close to Dereham and Swaffham in Norfolk on either side of the A47 (Image: Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA) The 2,300-acre Sunnica solar farm across four sites on the west Suffolk border was recently approved by the secretary of state for energy, Ed Miliband.

Alongside the potential to power 172,000 homes, the £600m solar farm is expected to employ almost 1,700 people.

“During construction, which could take between 24 and 36 months, we expect there to be a total net employment of 1,685 jobs per annum - 723 direct jobs and 962 indirect,” said a Sunnica spokesman.

“A variety of roles are needed to support the construction of a solar farm, including skilled electrical engineers and construction workers, security guards, and workers to install different elements such as fencing and landscaping.

“Once built there would be up to 17 permanent staff onsite during operation, which is 40 years. This includes security guards, electrical engineers and personnel to monitor and maintain the landscape and ecology areas.”

Sunnica Energy Farm will span 2,300-acres across four sites on the West Suffolk border Sunnica Energy Farm will span 2,300-acres across four sites on the West Suffolk border (Image: Sunnica) As part of its Development Consent Order (DCO) application for the project, Sunnica also published its outline skills, supply chain and employment plan.

This is intended to help maximise the economic benefits of the solar farm for local businesses and the wider community. It includes initiatives such as an apprenticeship scheme, skills training in partnership with local schools and colleges, and creating and promoting opportunities for local procurement.

The solar projects are deemed Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, meaning local councils will not be able to block themThe solar projects are deemed Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), meaning local councils will not be able to block them (Image: Newsquest) NET ZERO

The Labour government has made the ambitious promise to decarbonise Britain's electricity grid by 2030.

Delivering a zero-carbon electricity system by 2030 - five years earlier than the previous government's target - will require the doubling of onshore wind, tripling of solar power and quadrupling of offshore wind capacity.

However these projects are deemed Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), meaning local councils will not be able to block them and they will bypass the usual planning process. 

Mr Miliband will have the ultimate say.

Ed Miliband, secretary of state for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband, secretary of state for the department of energy security and net zero (Image: Lucy North) Norfolk and Suffolk benefit from around 1,600 sunshine hours a year, making the region an ideal location for large-scale solar farms.

The East already has in excess of two gigawatts (GW) of solar PV capacity. 

HIGH GROVE

Located in Norfolk, High Grove would cover 4,000 acres of land on five sites approximately 1.5km southwest of Dereham and west of Swaffham, on either side of the A47.

Spanning an area roughly the size of 2,667 football pitches, it would be more than 15 times larger than the Llanwern solar farm in Wales, currently the UK’s biggest solar farm at around 260 acres.

High Grove would be built on farmland surrounding Swaffham, Necton, Ashill and Bradenham.

The solar farm will generate enough clean energy to power 363,000 UK households.

RWE's initial proposals for the High Grove solar farmRWE's initial proposals for the High Grove solar farm (Image: RWE) RWE, the German energy company behind the project, said it will create jobs in both the construction and operational phases - including construction roles, supply chain positions, and long-term maintenance jobs.

The project will support local initiatives through a fund of up to £11.5 million over the solar farm’s 40-year operational lifespan.

RWE's planned underground cable route for the High Grove projectRWE's planned underground cable route for the High Grove project (Image: RWE) RWE also bought the Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone from Swedish developer Vattenfall for £963m earlier this year.

The offshore wind zone's three wind farms - Norfolk Vanguard East, Norfolk Vanguard West and Norfolk Boreas - are located 30 to 50 miles off the Norfolk coast.

Together they will power around four million homes across the UK.

EAST PYE SOLAR 

The proposed East Pye Solar site would cover 2,700 acres on 34 fields surrounding a cluster of villages close to the A140 near Long Stratton. 

It would be six times larger than the UK's current biggest solar farm.

The East Pye Solar project would stretch more than 10 milesThe East Pye Solar project would stretch more than 10 miles (Image: Island Green Power) READ MORE: 'We are not NIMBYs' - Villages vow to fight 34-field mega solar farm 'tooth and nail'

The project is expected to generate up to 500 megawatts (MW) of electricity over 60 years of operation, enough to power approximately 115,000 homes every year.