Low Carbon To Build 500 MW Renewable Energy Park In Kent, Boosting Green Power

Low Carbon, a renewable energy company, has announced the early stages of a project to develop a new solar and energy storage park in Romney Marsh, Kent. The park, which is expected to have a capacity of 500 MW, will provide clean energy to power 140,000 homes, about 20% of Kent’s total households, each year. The proposed 600-hectare site is located near Old Romney village, within the Folkestone and Hythe District, and stretches along the A259 between Brenzett to the northwest and New Romney to the east. This marks the beginning of Low Carbon’s community outreach phase, where local residents and businesses are encouraged to participate in upcoming events, both in-person and online, over the next few weeks.

James Hartley-Bond, Project Development Director at Low Carbon, said in a statement, “We are pleased to announce our plans for South Kent Energy Park, which once built will play a crucial role in providing a clean, secure, and affordable source of energy generation in support of the UK’s decarbonisation targets. We look forward to engaging with the local community and providing the opportunity for those who live and work closest to the project to learn more about Low Carbon’s emerging proposals.

He further added, “In delivering South Kent Energy Park, we want to give the local community the opportunity to collaborate with us and shape the project from an early stage of the design process. Alongside data from our ongoing environmental surveys, we will use the feedback we receive to inform the design of the project. We develop our projects responsibly, and listening to the community is integral to that process.”

A new project website has been launched for the South Kent Energy Park at http://www.southkentenergypark.co.uk, Interested individuals and groups are encouraged to share their feedback through the online form or attend one of the in-person events scheduled for 26 and 27 November. An online event will also be held on 12 December. The proposed project will include the necessary infrastructure to send the electricity generated by South Kent Energy Park to the national grid.

Due to its size and significant energy output, South Kent Energy Park is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project. This means the project will require an application for development consent, which will be reviewed by the Planning Inspectorate. The final decision will be made by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband. Earlier this year, Miliband approved development consent for Low Carbon’s Gate Burton Energy Park, which will generate enough solar power to supply clean energy to around 160,000 homes once completed.