The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has granted planning approval for RWE’s 180-megawatt (MW) Byers Gill solar farm, to be developed in County Durham, England.
The Development Consent Order (DCO) authorises construction of the ground-mounted solar scheme and a co-located battery energy storage system of around 180MW. The site will connect to the electricity grid via National Grid’s Norton substation, situated between Darlington and Stockton-on-Tees.
The project was submitted to the UK Planning Inspectorate in February 2024 as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), triggering a formal examination process. A recommendation for approval was passed to the government in April 2025.
Byers Gill is RWE’s first UK solar project to secure consent through the DCO process. The approval comes a day after the company submitted a separate DCO application for the proposed 600MW Tween Bridge solar development in Yorkshire.
“This latest successful consent further strengthens RWE’s solar and battery storage development pipeline in the UK,” said Adam Swarbrick, RWE’s head of UK solar and storage. “Byers Gill is our largest co-located solar and battery storage development project to be consented in the UK, and the first to successfully navigate the detailed scrutiny of the NSIP examination process.
Swarbrick added that the company’s next step will be to seek an internal investment decision for the project.
The UK government has been encouraging renewable energy investments to meet its net-zero emissions targets and improve long-term energy security.
