Welcome to the Oaklands Solar Farm AND BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM (BESS) website
Sirius Renewable Energy Limited is seeking to develop a new solar farm and battery storage site, near Bonvilston, The Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales
Oaklands Solar Farm could have an export capacity of circa 50MW of renewable electricity and an energy storage capacity of circa 50MVA, and will contribute towards tackling the climate emergency and energy security crisis, helping move Wales closer to achieving the targets for renewable energy generation set by the Welsh and UK Government.
Climate change is generally considered to be the greatest existential threat to the environment, our way of living and humanity in general. Addressing this huge challenge requires a sea change in how we live our lives in the future and the decisions we make.
In order to address this challenge, the UK Goverment have set a target to decarbonise the power grid and ensure all cars are zero emissions capable by 2035 thus moving away from fossil fuels and replacing this capacity with renewable energy.
In addition to this, recent months have brought into stark focus the need for the UK to improve its energy security to ensure both continuity of supply, reduced costs to the consumer and avoid future price spikes causes by geo-political events. In response to this additional challenge the UK government has published The British Energy Security Strategy which commits to developing a low-cost net zero consistent electricity system, supported by large scale long duration electricity storage.
This transition is predicted to result in an increase in electricity demand by 40%-60%, all of which must be met from renewable energy sources.
The project could produce enough renewable electricity for up to 20,400 homes each year, and offset over 20,200 tonnes of Co2 per year, the equivalent of taking approximately 5,000 petrol / diesel cars off the road.*
The Oaklands Solar Farm and BESS project could provide a significant contribution to Wales’ aspirations to cut carbon emissions and help reduce global warming.
As this project will deliver in excess of 10MW of energy it will constitute a Development of National Significance (DNS) under the Planning (Wales) Act 2015 and we must apply to the body known as Planning and Environment Decisions Wales, which will make a recommendation to Welsh Ministers on whether or not to grant planning permission.
Application Submission
The application for Oaklands Solar Farm has now been submitted and accepted by Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW).
All relevant information and application documents can be viewed on PEDW’s website. All correspondence related to the application should now be directed to PEDW as it considers the application, prior to making a recommendation to Welsh Ministers.
Project timeline:
We are committed to best practice in our approach to working closely with stakeholders, technical consultees and the local communities as we progress through the pre-application process.
Have your say
Pre-application consultation
Pre-application consultation has now closed. We have analysed the feedback received and used the information to refine our proposals prior to submitting the application to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales. The pre-application consultation report details the consultation undertaken and how feedback has been taken into account for the project.
About us
Sirius Renewable Energy Limited is part of Sirius Group, which offers a wide range of services to the built environment across the UK.
Sirius Renewable Energy Limited is developing an expanding portfolio of low carbon energy projects throughout the UK, including a growing number of solar farms.
Specialising in renewable energy developments, the combined expertise of the overall Sirius Group means that the business can fund, develop, own and operate its renewable projects, supplying low cost, green energy and making significant contributions towards meeting Wales’ carbon reduction targets.