Several nationally significant projects covering thousands of acres are in the pipeline, alongside smaller local schemes. Just check the acreage that these cover, they are immense.
Nationally Significant Solar Farm projects decided at government level:
- Beacon Fen Energy Park
- Size: ~1,300 acres
- Location: East of Sleaford (between Heckington and Helpringham)
- Status: Submitted to government in April 2025, examination pending
- Fosse Green Solar Project
- Size: ~2,400 acres
- Location: Near Lincoln (Thorpe-on-the-Hill, Witham St Hughs, Bassingham)
- Status: Formal submission was expected July 2025
- Heckington Fen Solar Park
- Size: ~1,600 acres
- Developer: Ecotricity
- Output: ~500MW, enough to power 100,000+ homes
- Status: Approved by government in early 2025
- West Burton Solar Project (partly in Lincolnshire, partly Nottinghamshire)
- Size: >1,000 hectares
- Developer: Island Green Power
- Output: ~1GW combined with Heckington Fen, powering ~144,000 homes
- Status: Approved January 2025
- Springwell Solar Farm
- Size: Large-scale (exact acreage not confirmed, part of 13,000-acre total)
- Location: Near Metheringham
- Status: Updated plans submitted 2025
- Leoda Solar Farm
- Size: Significant acreage (details emerging)
- Location: Near Leadenham
- Status: New plans unveiled 2025
- One Earth Solar Farm
- Location: Near North Clifton (border area affecting Lincolnshire)
- Includes Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)
- Status: Proposal under Planning Inspectorate consideration, with fire safety concerns raised
These Smaller Local Solar Farms are determined by local councils rather than central government:
- Mareham Lane Solar Farm (Scredington, near Sleaford)
- Size: 75 hectares
- Capacity: Power for ~15,000 homes
- Status: Initially rejected by North Kesteven District Council, now under appeal with new archaeological evidence
- Two smaller sites announced in 2025
- Burton Gorse (near Sleaford)
- South Carlton (near Lincoln)
- Status: Early-stage proposals
Scale of Development
- Approved projects already cover ~3,500 hectares of Lincolnshire land.
- Further ~6,400 hectares are proposed, meaning Lincolnshire could host some of the UK’s largest solar developments.
- Together, these farms could generate over 1GW of solar energy, powering hundreds of thousands of homes.
In summary: Lincolnshire has at least seven nationally significant solar farms (Beacon Fen, Fosse Green, Heckington Fen, West Burton, Springwell, Leoda, One Earth) plus smaller local projects like Mareham Lane, Burton Gorse, and South Carlton. The county is set to become one of the UK’s largest hubs for solar energy, though local councils and residents remain divided over the impact on farmland and landscape.
Footnote:
- Beacon Fen – ~500MW, east of Sleaford
- Fosse Green – ~800MW, near Lincoln
- Heckington Fen – ~500MW, near Heckington
- West Burton – ~500MW, Lincolnshire/Nottinghamshire border
- Springwell – ~400MW, near Metheringham
- Leoda – ~300MW, near Leadenham
- One Earth – ~600MW, near North Clifton
- Mareham Lane – ~50MW, Scredington near Sleaford
- Burton Gorse – ~40MW, near Sleaford
- South Carlton – ~30MW, near Lincoln
