We are calling for a national review of how large-scale solar farms are approved, as many new schemes are being designed to export electricity rather than meet UK demand.
The Government’s recent commitment to becoming a net exporter of green energy raises fundamental questions about whether solar farms built primarily for export should continue to be treated as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs).
Under the Planning Act 2008, NSIPs are intended for infrastructure that is essential to UK energy security and national need.
If these solar projects are being built to export energy abroad, then they are not nationally significant infrastructure. They are commercially significant export projects.
That is a completely different category, and the planning system has not caught up.
Several of the solar schemes proposed for Lincolnshire and the East of England including Meridian Solar Farm, Springwell, Cottam and Mallard Pass would each cover thousands of acres of farmland.
The scale of these projects far exceeds local, regional and National electricity demand.
There are no upgrades planned to the local distribution grid. That means the power cannot be used locally. These solar farms are being built to feed the transmission network and export power out of the region and out of the UK in the future.
Many of the proposed solar NSIPs are located on Grade 1 and Grade 2 agricultural land, including the rare silt soils of the South Lincolnshire Fens – some of the most productive farmland in Europe.
Lincolnshire grows around 30 per cent of England’s vegetables. Once this land is covered in solar panels, it is lost for good. Exporting energy should not take priority over producing food.
In 2025, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero confirmed in writing that the UK intends to become a net exporter of green energy.
This policy shift means the NSIP regime designed for nationally essential infrastructure may no longer be appropriate for export-driven solar generation.
The NSIP system was never designed for export projects. It was designed for infrastructure that keeps the lights on in the UK. If the purpose has changed, the planning framework must change with it.
We are calling for:
lA review of whether export-driven solar farms should qualify as NSIPs
lA new “national interest test” for energy export projects
lStronger protection for Best and Most Versatile farmland
lTransparency about whether new generation is intended for UK use or export
We have submitted evidence to the National Infrastructure Commission and have asked the Planning Inspectorate for a formal policy interpretation.
Developers argue that large-scale solar is essential to meeting the UK’s net-zero commitments and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. They say the NSIP process provides a consistent national framework for delivering major energy projects.
Several solar NSIPs are expected to enter Examination over the next 12 months. We will continue to challenge the classification of export-driven solar farms and push for a clearer distinction between national infrastructure and commercial export infrastructure.
Communities deserve honesty about what these projects are for. If they are being built to export energy, that must be made clear and they should not be.
Cat Makinson, spokesman for Lincolnshire Against Needless Destruction (LAND)
