The Sunnica 500MW, 350MW Mallard Pass and 500MW Gate Burton solar projects have all received approval for development. Credit: pBabic via Shutterstock.

West Suffolk and Cambridgeshire County councils in the UK have withdrawn from their legal challenge against the development of the 500MW Sunnica Energy solar project.

This decision forced also Suffolk County Council and East Cambridge to abandon any legal challenges against the development.

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Suffolk County Council explained in a statement it was forced to back down due to the cost of legal fees set against the likely financial return on a successful legal outcome.

Suffolk County Council’s deputy cabinet member for nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs), Richard Rout, expressed the council’s “deep disappointment” at West Suffolk Council and Cambridgeshire County Council for abandoning the legal process.

Rout explained: “The Sunnica solar farm was approved by the new government against the recommendation of the independent planning inspectorate, who said it should be thrown out. In pulling out of this challenge, the two councils have demonstrated they are intent on serving the interests of the government over the interests of local communities and taxpayers.”  

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The Sunnica Energy farm on the Suffolk-Cambridgeshire border was deemed a nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP) as the project exceeds 50MW.  

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In doing so, the energy farm must have submitted a development consent order (DCO) application, which the National Planning Inspectorate examined and recommended before approving or rejecting the project.

Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for the UK’s Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DENSZ), has the final say on project approval.

After delays under previous Conservative leadership, the project was eventually awarded the DCO last month by Miliband, alongside the 350MW Mallard Pass and 500MW Gate Burton solar projects.

Labour recently set the UK’s target for solar capacity to reach 50GW by 2030. The additional development of solar facilities is essential to achieving this target.