Matt Lomax of Low Carbon (the solar farm developer) provided an update to the Parish Council meeting on 11th November. In summary, the key points are as follows:
- Low Carbon is seeking to obtain a guaranteed price for the power generated by the solar farm at Rode. The mechanism for achieving this is to apply to the government’s annual “Contracts for Differences” (CfD) auction, which takes place in April. The outcome of the auction will be known in September each year. Having missed the 2024 CfD auction (as planning permission took longer than anticipated to secure), Low Carbon is planning to enter the April 2025 auction. If they are unsuccesful they will look at other options, but Low Carbon has historically had good successes in the past when bidding for CfDs for other renewables projects.
- Given the above timescales, the project will not be funded until late 2025, at which time Low Carbon can start to enter into the relevant construction contracts, etc
- At this time, final detailed designs will be completed, and Low Carbon will work to achieve the various pre-commencement conditions (which will need to be signed-off by Somerset Council)
- Assuming all relevant approvals are received (including approval from Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue for the battery storage facility), it is anticipated that construction will commence in Spring 2026.
- Initial construction work will comprise creation of the equipment compounds, erecting deer fencing and CCTV to secure the site, and building the temporary access route across Rode Farm. The mechanical installation (including piling to facilitate the erection of the solar panels) will take approximately 4 – 6 months, during the second half of 2026. The final element of construction will be the cabling and electrical works, which are anticipated to complete in the first quarter of 2027. The project is expected to “go live” by mid-2027, at which stage electricity will start flowing into the national grid.
- Although a number of new/recent renewables projects are facing timescale challenges (with grid connections potentially not being secured for a decade or more), Low Carbon has assured the Parish Council that relevant approvals have already been received for the Rode solar farm. This means there should be no delays to energy generation, once the build programme is complete.
- Although the outline design has been completed, Low Carbon has promised to look at potential individual improvements – hence, if local residents have particular concerns about specific individual aspects of the project (eg: an area of fence-line which may cause an obstruction, etc, etc), then these can still be raised. The best way of raising such issues will be to contact the Parish Council: https://www.rodevillage.com/contact/
- Rode Parish Council plans to engage with Low Carbon in the near future to secure agreement regarding community contributions (which may include funding for community projects).
