Grundon has been given the go-ahead for a solar farm on its former landfill site near Beenham Industrial Estate.
West Berkshire District Council has green-lighted the project at the 1.73 hectare site, which is expected to generate enough renewable energy to power the equivalent of 422 homes and offset nearly 400 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Philip Atkinson, Estates Director, says Grundon’s investment in its first dedicated solar farm underlines the company’s commitment to sustainable energy.
“This is a significant step forward in meeting our renewable energy ambitions,” he said. “While this development is within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the council has recognised the project makes best use of a restored landfill site which is designated as low-quality agricultural land.
“We are very pleased to have received planning consent and would also like to thank the local community for its support and recognition of the importance of developing new renewable energy sources.”
Nearly three-quarters of the Beenham operation is already powered by renewable energy generated by landfill gas from the former landfill site. Once the solar farm is completed, it means the site will become fully energy self-sufficient, helping to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy security.
Surplus renewable electricity from the solar farm will go into neighbouring local businesses and the National Grid.
The development will see a 2MW ground-mounted solar PV panel system installed, together with a Battery Energy Storage System. The site will be extensively landscaped to provide additional biodiversity benefits and fencing added as screening.
Grundon’s ongoing sustainability drive has already seen it commit to becoming net zero by 2040. Between 2000 and 2022, the company has reduced the amount of carbon emissions per tonne of waste it manages by more than three-quarters – from 579kg CO2e in 2000 to 95kg CO2e – at the same time as increasing its throughput of waste by 60%.