The Blenheim Estate is looking to build the UK’s most powerful solar farm, which it says would have the capacity to generate electricity for 330,000 homes.
The proposed development of Botley West Solar Farm would sit on 1,000 hectares of agricultural land, located on the Oxfordshire estate.
According to Blenheim Estate, the site would have the capacity to generate 840 MW of electricity to the National Grid.
The proposal would also deliver new native woodland and hedgerow planting, the creation of new greenways, and cycle routes and footpaths.
Following the end of the solar farm's operation, the equipment would be removed and the site returned to agricultural use, Blenheim Estate said.
The estate's chief executive, Dominic Hare said: “As we contribute our land to this project, we do so knowing it could deliver enough clean energy to power 330,000 homes, enough to power every home in Oxfordshire.
"At Blenheim we are uniquely positioned to take action to protect future generations and support global efforts to reduce carbon emissions, but also focus on the impact to our local area.
“We are proud to make ambitious steps like this project to help the UK’s energy needs today and in doing so fight climate change for the generations who follow us,” he added.
Sitting on 1,000 hectares, the solar farm would be constructed by Photovolt Development Partners (PVDP), who deliver large-scale solar projects in Europe and Japan.
They are launching an initial six-week public consultation where people can find out more about the new development.
