The Secretary of State for Energy has approved the construction of three major solar farms in the east of England.

Sunnica on the Suffolk/Cambridgeshire border, Gate Burton in Lincolnshire and Mallard Pass in Lincolnshire and Rutland have all received consent.

Sunnica and Gate Burton will each generate 500MW while Mallard Pass will generate 350MW.

Collectively, these projects will provide about two-thirds of the solar energy capacity installed last year.

In response to the news, Chris Hewett, Chief Executive of Solar Energy UK, said: “Solar Energy UK is delighted that the new Secretary of State has approved three nationally significant solar farms in his first week in office.

“This is just the kind of clear leadership that will increase investor confidence and show that Britain is serious about tackling the climate emergency with the urgency that is needed.”

Commenting on the decision, Managing Director of UK Development at Low Carbon, Mike Rutgers, said: “We are delighted that the new Secretary of State has granted consent on Gate Burton, allowing us to progress to the construction phase of the project and reaffirming our position as the market leader for UK solar.

“Once built, we estimate that the 500MW project will provide enough solar capacity to power approximately 160,000 homes with clean, secure electricity and play a key role supporting the Labour government’s mission of delivering a net zero grid by 2030.”