Work On Dover Solar Farm Gets Underway

Work has started on the Chalkpit Solar Farm, on 25 hectares of land near Guston and East Langdon, after the Dover MP, Mike Tapp officiated at the groundbreaking.

The Chalkpit solar farm is German-based renewable energy company greentech’s first in the UK, and when operating it will provide renewable energy for more than 7,500 homes by generating approximately 25.9 MWp of green energy.

The electricity produced will be used locally in houses and businesses, reducing the need to import electricity from power stations, lessening the stress on the grid and ensuring a reliable energy supply for local people.

Yaw Ofori, Managing Director UK at greentech, added: “When we complete the construction in the summer of 2026 and the solar farm becomes operational, it will generate enough to power for one in eight of the homes in the district. Importantly, it’ll also reduce CO₂ emissions by 10,000 tonnes per year for its 40-year operational lifespan.

“With the dramatic rise in energy prices and conflict in Ukraine, it is more important than ever for the UK to reduce its dependency on international energy and tap into renewable solar power. We’d like to thank Mike Tapp for officiating at the groundbreaking, the local community for their support, and our contractor GOLDBECK SOLAR Limited for all their hard work to date.”

Guests at the groundbreaking ceremony heard from Mike Tapp MP; Cllr Susan Beer, Chairman of Dover District Council and First Citizen of the District; and Tracey Creed, Chair of Guston Parish Council.

Commenting on the investment in renewable energy, Mike Tapp MP said:

Dover District Council’s Planning Committee granted permission for the solar farm in 2022, two years after declaring a Climate Change Emergency. The Council’s Climate Change Strategy aims to support the district to become carbon neutral by 2050, with the Council itself becoming a net zero carbon emitter by 2030.

The design of the solar farm includes sheep grazing enabling agriculture to continue without the use of insecticides or pesticides, making it insect, bee and bird friendly.

In addition, the solar farm will create a 4-hectare native wildflower meadow, as well as involve the planting of 1km of new hedgerows and nearly one hectare of shrub and tree areas to promote biodiversity. This equates to a 138% increase in dense species rich hedgerow and a 57% increase in habitat.

The solar farm will be connected to the electricity distribution network operated by United Kingdom Power Networks (UKPN) via underground cabling from the site to nearby Pineham Road.

During the construction phase, construction traffic will only operate between 10am and 4pm, with the site accessed by Deal Road and A2/A20, to avoid traffic going through the nearby village. The piling machines being used have been approved by the ecologist as ‘quieter’, specifically for the local badgers.

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