Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband has approved plans for the UK’s largest solar farm.
The £1bn Tillbridge solar farm, to be built near Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, will generate enough electricity to power 300,000 homes once completed.
The 700-megawatt project will cover more than 1,200 hectares, making it the biggest solar development in the country.
It is also the ninth nationally significant solar project approved since Labour came to power in July 2024, with 17 large-scale renewable projects greenlit so far enough to supply over 7.5 million homes.
Labour has pledged to make the UK a clean energy superpower by tripling solar capacity, doubling onshore wind, and quadrupling offshore wind by 2030.
The party argues that reducing reliance on gas-fired plants to just five per cent of electricity generation will lower bills by up to £300 a year.
However, opposition from Reform UK and some Conservatives has intensified, particularly in Lincolnshire, where several major renewable and transmission projects are planned.
Critics argue that the government’s net zero policies threaten jobs in fossil fuel industries and impose costs on households.
Defending the decision in Parliament, Miliband said Britain’s leadership on climate action had inspired similar laws in dozens of countries. “The net zero economy grew three times faster than the economy as a whole last year. This is the growth opportunity of the 21st century,” he said.
Speaking later at the Energy UK conference, Miliband warned that relying on gas-fired power would leave Britain more exposed to price shocks and missing out on the jobs and investment of the future.
“This is about energy security, lower bills, and economic growth,” he said. “Clean energy is Britain’s opportunity and not a burden.”
