Home – Energy – Britain has approved a 700-acre solar farm in Cumbria, a project so vast it could take nearly two years to build
The UK government has approved Dean Moor Solar Farm, a large renewable energy project planned near Workington in West Cumbria. The 691-acre development is designed around a 150-megawatt grid connection and could generate enough electricity each year to match the consumption of more than 50,000 typical homes.
That sounds like the finish line, but it is really the starting gun. Construction could take between 18 months and two years, and the developers still need to coordinate the schedule with the regional grid operator before crews and equipment move onto the land.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero granted the project a Development Consent Order on July 2, 2026. The site will sit west of the A5086 between Gilgarran and Branthwaite Edge, roughly 3.7 miles southeast of Workington.
The application was submitted in March 2025 and went through a six-month examination that allowed local residents, public bodies, and other interested parties to present evidence. The Planning Inspectorate sent its recommendation to the government in April 2026, clearing the way for the final decision.
The project is designed to use up to 150 megawatts of available distribution network connection capacity. The government decision estimates that Dean Moor could generate as much as 134 gigawatt-hours of electricity in a year, while the developers translate that figure into the annual demand of more than 50,000 homes.
Those two numbers describe different things. Megawatts measure the amount of power the project can deliver at a given moment, while gigawatt-hours measure electricity produced over time. For anyone watching the electric bill, the household comparison is useful as a measure of scale, but it is not a promise that prices will fall.
The electricity will be exported into Electricity North West’s network and mixed with power from other sources rather than sent directly to a dedicated group of houses. That is how a project in rural Cumbria can support the wider regional system.
The site covers about 1.1 square miles, but solar equipment will not fill every acre. Existing roads and tracks will remain, while substantial areas are reserved for landscaping, habitat work, and other environmental measures.
Most of the land is currently used for sheep grazing, and the developers say low-intensity grazing can continue while the panels are operating. Dean Moor is authorized for up to 40 years, after which the equipment must be removed and the site returned to full agricultural use.
The environmental plan aims to deliver biodiversity gains above 10 percent. It includes new native trees and hedgerows, species-rich wildflower grassland, improved grazing meadows, and boxes or shelters for birds, bats, invertebrates, amphibians, and reptiles. The plan is detailed, but the real test will be how those habitats are maintained over four decades.
No final groundbreaking date has been announced. The project website says the main build should take about 18 months to two years, with the timetable depending partly on Electricity North West and on supply chain conditions.
For nearby communities, this phase is likely to be the phase that causes the most disturbance. Heavy vehicles, road noise, and exhaust fumes can turn an ordinary trip into a traffic jam, so the proposed construction traffic plan includes vehicle booking controls and restrictions intended to avoid rush hour and busy school periods.
Stantec led the planning and environmental submission, bringing together work on landscape, water, noise, transportation, ecology, and other technical areas. Robert Devas, the firm’s UK director of environmental planning, said that involving communities and stakeholders in the design process was treated as “a central objective.”
Dean Moor is being developed by FVS Dean Moor Limited, a joint venture between Firma Energy and ib vogt UK. Daniel Kiremidjian, ib vogt’s director for the UK and Nordic region, said the decision marks the first project in the company’s UK portfolio to secure a Development Consent Order.
“This is a significant milestone for ib vogt in the UK,” Kiremidjian said. He credited the company’s team, its partners, local communities, and stakeholders for the work that carried the proposal through the approval process.
Law firm TLT advised on Dean Moor and also worked on the Peartree Hill Solar Farm in Yorkshire, which received consent the same day. Peartree Hill is planned at 320 megawatts, making the two approvals a nearly half-gigawatt signal of how quickly large solar proposals are moving through Britain’s national infrastructure system.
The consent gives FVS Dean Moor Limited the legal foundation to advance the project, but several practical steps remain. Detailed design, compliance with the order’s requirements, grid coordination, and a confirmed construction program will determine when work actually begins.
At the end of the day, Dean Moor will be judged on more than the number of panels installed. It will need to produce the promised electricity, limit disruption on local roads, protect grazing, and turn its biodiversity commitments into visible results on the ground.
The official decision was published on GOV.UK.
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