Back to list Sunnica Energy Farm

Representation by Moira Newell

Date submitted
5 March 2022
Submitted by
Members of the public/businesses
  • The proposed industrial solar plant is grossly large and will swamp our rural villages and cause substantial detriment to our lives and there is zero, literally zero benefit to residents. - It will be of no benefit to the national grid and it will not achieve carbon neutral status in its lifetime and will in fact create MORE carbon than it saves. - Solar power is highly inefficient and this area of Suffolk/Cambs doesn't even have endless sunshine and even a power station of this scale will produce only a small amount of electricity that in no way justifies the loss of farming land and development of such enormous infrastructure - approx 1.1 million solar panels! It's horrific. - The land that will be taken is good quality crop farming land and currently successfully farmed. Once this power station is decommissioned in 40 years time the land will be useless for farming; let alone the loss of wildlife, fauna and flora and the landscape in this rural area will have been changed, irreparably, forever. - Sunnica has NO experience of a project like this and there are legitimate safety concerns regarding the lithium storage batteries - not just the sheer number and size of them, but their location so close to homes and schools and Sunnica has not adequately satisfied residents that they have extreme safety measures in place in the event of a fire. - This area has considerable heritage and beauty and the location of Sunnica will be very disruptive to the Newmarket gallops. - The sheer development and building of this solar power station will take around 2 years to complete and during that time, our roads will be clogged with hundred of HGV vehicles in a rural setting which already struggles with current traffic. Our villages simply can't cope with this onslaught, noise, road closures, loss of verges and loss of legitimate walking paths. - I fail to see how this Sunnica development is in any way "green" - solar panels will be constructed in China and shipped to the UK, the solar power emitted will be negligible, productive farming land will be destroyed and at the end of the 40 years and the solar panels can't even be recycled! How is any of this "green?" - I can not see how, in any shape or form, this power plant can be justified or proven to be a sensible national infrastructure scheme.