Mallard Pass Solar Farm

Mallard Pass Solar Farm is a proposal for a new solar farm with infrastructure to connect to the national grid, along with the necessary mitigation measures to address the impacts of the project, and ecological enhancements and opportunities for improved recreational access by the local community.

Mallard Pass Solar Farm is proposed to be located on agricultural land either side of the East Coast Main Line near Essendine, partly situated in South Kesteven, Lincolnshire, and partly in Rutland. The site is close to the National Grid Ryhall 400 kilovolts (kV) Substation at Uffington Lane, which is where the electricity generated from the proposed solar farm will connect to the national grid, providing clean, secure power for a variety of uses; including homes, industry and infrastructure. Mallard Pass is expected to generate in the region of 350 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy, enough to power the equivalent of 92,000 UK households. See FAQs here.

Mallard Pass will support the urgent need to decarbonise our electricity system, deliver reliable and sustainable low-cost energy, enhance the local environment and be a responsible neighbour.

Due to the capacity of the solar farm exceeding 50 megawatts (MW), Mallard Pass Solar Farm is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) and requires a Development Consent Order (DCO) under the Planning Act 2008. Our DCO application documents are available to view on our Documents webpage linked here.

Our DCO application for Mallard Pass Solar Farm was awarded development consent on 12 July 2024 by the Secretary of State for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). All relevant documents, including the DCO as made, the Secretary of State’s Decision Letter, the Examining Authority’s Recommendation Report and all other application/ examination documents are available on the project-dedicated webpage of the Planning Inspectorate website linked here.

For more information on the DCO process for Mallard Pass up to date, please visit our webpage on the development process by clicking here.

Although the exact technology and type of solar arrays to be used have yet to be decided, an indicative diagram of the typical components is shown below.

Components of a typical solar project

Key Benefits

  • Mallard Pass Solar Farm has the potential to power in the region of 92,000 UK homes, approximately the number of households in Rutland and South Kesteven combined.

  • Mallard Pass will support green spaces that connect habitats, enhance biodiversity and link recreational routes.

  • Mallard Pass Solar Farm could take the equivalent of 35,700 cars off of roads.

  • Mallard Pass will support low-cost energy generation that increases the reliability of our national grid.

  • The project will help the UK reach urgent climate change targets whilst supporting the local environment by delivering a biodiversity net gain.

 Use our interactive map to search for a location.

To view a plan showing the location and route of Mallard Pass Solar Farm as submitted in the Development Consent Order (DCO) application, please refer to the Location, Order Limits and Grid Coordinates Plans (Document Reference: EN010127/APP/2.6), available here: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/wp-content/ipc/uploads/projects/EN010127/EN010127-000084-2.6_Location_Order%20Limits%20and%20Grid%20Coordinates%20Plans.pdf

FAQs

Please see below our latest Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding Mallard Pass Solar Farm.

For more up-to-date and detailed information about Mallard Pass Solar Farm, please click here to view our Development Consent Order (DCO) application materials.