Back to list Sunnica Energy Farm

Representation by Russell Leaman

Date submitted
14 February 2022
Submitted by
Members of the public/businesses
  • Batteries: the large size of the storage batteries (banned in Arizona), the concern over thermal runaway should they catch fire and the emission of noxious gases, is a serious risk to local people. Current legislation has not caught up with the battery technology which is forcing local fire services to develop their own fire strategy, which may not be adequate. No assessment of other battery fires has been considered by Sunnica, meaning that it is an untested and dangerous technology, - Traffic: the quantity of traffic of HGV movements, through small villages over two years, with an estimated 841 staff vehicles for 1,260 staff working on site, will cause significant local noise and congestion, - Scale: the proposed size is 20 times larger than average farms, measuring over 2,115 football pitches. It will cover hectares of good quality arable land, blighting the visual aspect of the countryside, -Wildlife: the area is a haven for ground nesting birds, feeding for migrating birds, flight corridors and the farmland, -Trading, not Green: the scheme is being designed primarily to store cheap energy to export it for profit with absolutely no benefit to local residents, and it will not create any local jobs, -Screening: planting will not create screening for 5 years and no compensation will be offered for blighted property values. -Local Opposition: local residents have been campaigning against the Sunnica proposal for almost two years, and no group, organisation or local authority is in favour of the solar farm as proposed