OnPath Energy opens the way to new South Yorkshire solar energy site

Leading renewables developer OnPath Energy is moving forward with work on a renewable energy generation and storage project in South Yorkshire after completing the construction of a new entrance into the site.

OnPath is building the Common Farm Solar Park close to the Todwick Road Industrial Estate in Dinnington, which will be able to generate enough green electricity to meet the average annual requirements of up to 18,800 family homes.

The work on the entrance has been carried out by contractor Cheetham Hill Construction under the supervision of specialist infrastructure consultancy AECOM, which is acting as lead consultant for the scheme.

Construction work is expected to begin in the autumn and to finish in mid-2027, with the build out set to provide a range of opportunities for regional subcontractors and suppliers through the development period.

The Common Farm Solar Park will have an installed capacity of up to 49.9MW, with a 50 MW battery storage facility linking directly into the Thurcroft electricity sub-station around three kilometres to the north of the site to help make the energy grid more efficient, facilitate more renewable energy generation and support the long-term security of energy supplies to UK consumers.

The project’s detailed ecology and biodiversity strategy will ensure it delivers a net benefit in biodiversity to the local community, with new species-rich grassland having already been planted across the site’s entire 116 hectares to create a wildflower meadow has been established prior to the construction phase.

This project will bring a wide range of direct environmental, energy security, economic and community benefits to the local area, and will further increase the contribution that OnPath Energy is making towards helping the UK meet its crucial Net Zero targets.”

Martin Kellerman – Construction director

Additional hedging has been planted along Todwick Road to fill in the gaps in the existing hedgerow, with ten, eight-foot tall oak trees being added to provide additional screening in the longer term.

A second phase of hedgerow planting work is scheduled to follow the construction, along with the creation and safeguarding of habitats for skylarks and lapwings.

Local consultation work is continuing to determine how the annual package of around £50,000 of community benefits that forms part of the project, which could equate to around £2,000,000 through its lifetime, can best be used to support local community and environmental priorities.

Common Farm is one of two solar energy projects currently being developed in Yorkshire by OnPath Energy, with work already underway at the Barnsdale Solar Energy Park near Leeds, while it already owns and operates four onshore wind farms across the county.

Martin Kellerman, construction director at OnPath Energy, says: “Preparations for the start of construction work at the Common Farm Solar Park have been progressing well and completion of this site access is a key milestone for us.

Full details of the Common Farm Solar Park can be found at www.onpathenergy.com/common-farm

For further information on OnPath Energy, visit www.onpathenergy.com