A huge solar farm and data centre campus could be built in West Norfolk under plans which could attract more than £25 billion of investment to the region.
EPL Norfolk Limited has unveiled proposals for Longmarsh Green Energy, covering two sites – one north-east of Tilney St Lawrence and another near Fincham and Barton Bendish.
The development would combine up to 1.3 gigawatts (GW) of solar generation and battery storage with a data centre campus with a capacity of 1GW.
The company says the data centre could attract more than £25 billion of investment and the development could create thousands of construction jobs, more than 500 direct operational roles and support a further 1,500 jobs.
The project would connect to the existing electricity transmission network substation at Walpole, with a grid connection expected from 2031.
If approved, the development could supply renewable electricity to homes, businesses and industry, while providing infrastructure for digital services and artificial intelligence.
The developer says the data centre would be powered predominantly by locally sourced renewable energy, including offshore wind, and would use a closed-loop cooling system to limit its impact on local water supplies.
A public consultation on the proposals opened on October 15 and will run until late November.
Residents can view the plans and submit feedback through the project’s website at www.longmarshgreenenergy.co.uk.
The company says it welcomes feedback on measures to reduce the development’s local impact, as well as suggestions for how the project could support community initiatives.
