Low Carbon Plans 500 MW Somerset Energy Park with Battery Storage in the UK

Low Carbon, the UK renewable energy developer and independent power producer, has launched early-stage proposals for a large solar and battery storage site in Somerset. The scheme, known as Somerset Energy Park, would be located near the village of Mark and has a potential capacity of 500 MW.

The announcement represents the first public step in what the company describes as an emerging design process for the development. If built, the company states the park would generate enough clean electricity each year to power the equivalent of more than 145,000 homes and avoid around 150,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually.

Planning a route through the NSIP regime

Because the proposed development would generate more than 100 MW, it falls into the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) category. Low Carbon will submit an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to the Planning Inspectorate, with the consent decided by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Miatta Fahnbulleh.

How the site would be laid out

The proposals divide the scheme into five development areas: Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western and Central. These areas would host solar panels, a battery energy storage system and associated infrastructure such as inverters and substations. Low Carbon says the development will also include significant environmental mitigation and areas for biodiversity enhancement, shaped by ongoing assessment work.

Linking to the National Grid

Connection and access infrastructure would link the energy park to the National Grid via the proposed Woolavington Substation. While the project is at an early stage, the company has identified broad search areas for this infrastructure. The connections are likely to combine overhead lines and underground cables, with details to be refined as design and assessment work progresses.

Consultation timetable and stakeholder outreach

Low Carbon has started engaging with local stakeholders, including communities, landowners, local authorities and statutory consultees. The company says this engagement is intended to build an understanding of the local area as the proposals take shape.

A wider public consultation is planned for early 2027, giving local communities and other interested parties the chance to review the proposals and submit feedback. Ed Perrin, Project Development Director at Low Carbon, said: "Somerset Energy Park represents an opportunity to deliver new, home-grown renewable energy while building greater flexibility into the energy system through battery storage.

"Nature and the environment are the starting point for our design, so that ecological enhancements are built in from the very beginning of the project. "Our priority is to develop a site that responds carefully to its surroundings and listens to the local community as we help deliver the clean, secure energy the UK needs for the future."

Context within Low Carbon's wider pipeline

The Somerset announcement follows Low Carbon's recent unveiling of early proposals for two other large-scale solar projects co-located with battery energy storage: West Oxfordshire Energy Park and Dengie Peninsula Energy Park. The company is positioning the Somerset scheme alongside these projects as part of its development activity as an Independent Power Producer.

Where the project stands now

The proposals remain at an early stage. Broad search areas have been identified for the grid connection infrastructure, and environmental design work is ongoing. Low Carbon has indicated the design will continue to be refined through its assessment work, and local communities will be able to review and comment on the plans during the public consultation scheduled for early 2027. Further details on the final configuration of the solar arrays, battery storage system, and connection infrastructure are expected as that process advances.