Frequently asked questions

Statkraft is at the heart of the UK’s energy transition. Since 2006, Statkraft has gone from strength to strength in the UK, building experience across wind, solar, hydro, energy storage and grid stability projects.  

Statkraft is a global company in energy market operations, with more than 6,500 employees in 20 countries. We’ve invested over £1.8 billion in the UK's renewable energy infrastructure and facilitated over 4.5 GW of new-build renewable energy generation through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). 

Across our UK businesses we employ more than 500 staff in England, Scotland and Wales.

Read more about Statkraft UK.

Mylen Leah is a proposed new solar farm located between the villages of Seaton Ross, Melbourne, Laytham, Ellerton, East Cottingwith and Foggathorpe in the East Riding of Yorkshire. 

The proposed solar farm will have a capacity of approximately 500MW,  enough to power the equivalent of 180,000 homes per year.

The site has been carefully selected as part of a detailed feasibility process.  The assessment includes planning and environmental designations, solar irradiance and access to an electricity grid connection. 

As Mylen Leah’s proposed installed capacity is greater than 100MW it is considered a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP).  The process for NSIP's is clearly set out by the Planning Inspectorate.

Statkraft is already working in the local area, delivering a Greener Grid Park next to National Grid's Thornton substation, which is currently under construction.  Statkraft also commenced construction of Soay Solar Farm in 2026.

The project is in statutory consultation phase which launched on Thursday 16th April 2026, running until Thursday 28th May. During the statutory consultation we will be presenting our developed plans for feedback. This will be your opportunity to tell us what you think of our plans ahead of submitting our final DCO application to the Planning Inspectorate in late 2026.

The plans being presented at statutory consultation will build on the earlier development stage where we identified the site and carried out initial on-site studies to help us understand it's potential. Ahead of statutory consultation, we have held discussions with East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) and statutory consultees. 

Following this early development work, we held a non-statutory consultation in November 2024, with two co-design workshop taking place in the area with local and technical stakeholders. Feedback from these events helped shape and refine our early proposals into the developed plans we are consulting on at statutory consultation.

This site has been carefully selected as part of a detailed feasibility process. The assessment includes, planning and environmental designations, solar irradiance and access to the electricity grid at Thornton substation.

The UK needs more projects like Mylen Leah Solar Farm to bolster our energy security at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions and energy crises. By producing homegrown solar energy here in the East Riding of Yorkshire, we can futureproof our energy supply, improve our energy security and lower energy bills.

Low-carbon solar generation is an essential step to meeting the UK Government’s objectives to enable decarbonisation, with the UK Government identifying low-carbon energy generation as a critical national priority. Mylen Leah Solar Farm would contribute towards the achievement of UK Government energy targets, including reaching 70GW of solar capacity by 2035, and would help to secure a UK energy supply that is low carbon and low cost.

The Project will connect into the National Grid's existing 400KV transmission substation at Thornton, via underground cables. 

The underground cable route from the solar farm to the grid connection point is still being determined.  We have identified a grid corridor search area that we are currently investigating. 

Since the Mylen Leah Solar farm is expected to have a capacity greater than 100MW, it is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP).  As a result, Statkraft will submit an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO).  While East Riding of Yorkshire Council will act as a statutory consultee during this process, the final decision on whether to approve the Project will be made by the Secretary of State.

Statkraft is developing the Soay Solar Farm and Thornton Greener Grid Park at Thornton.  The project consists of a Greener Grid Park, currently under construction, to help increase the amount of renewable energy to be transmitted through the grid.  Soay is an up to 49.9MW Solar Farm with construction now also underway, with construction works starting in early 2026.

In March 2024 the community benefit fund for Soay Greener Grid Park was launched.  We were pleased to work with the local community to deliver a fund that can meet local needs.  It is managed by GrantScape and can be used to fund environmental, educational and a range of community projects.

You can find out more about the the current project and the Fund on our project page.

We know that many people in this area care deeply about what happens to the land. At Mylen Leah Solar Farm, an Agricultural Land Classification Survey which has identified areas of Best and Most Versatile (BMV) agricultural land is informing our design. Where possible, non-BMV areas of lower-quality agricultural land will be preferred to those of a higher quality (land classified as Grade 3a and above).

Solar farms do not pose a threat to food security.

It is well publicised that the greatest risk to food security in the UK is Climate Change. As of late 2024, solar farms occupied less than 0.1% of the UK’s land. If all future solar, required to meet the government’s 47GW target by 2030 was ground mounted, then solar farms would at most account for approximately 0.6% of UK land. In reality, rooftop solar will also form part of the mix and as such less land is likely to be used.

Construction is anticipated to commence in 2030. It is expected that the construction of the solar farm will take up to 36 months and likely developed in phases. 

It is expected that the solar farm will be operational for a period of up to 50 years. 

Should the Project be consented and built the site will be decommissioned in line with the planning conditions issued as part of the consent. A decommissioning plan will be agreed as part of the planning conditions.

A key aim of our projects is to enhance biodiversity and contribute to the local environment. There is an expectation that all projects deliver a biodiversity net gain of 10%, however at Statkraft we always aim to deliver above this measure. In our plans, there are dedicated areas for landscaping, habitat management and screening as part of the development.

Mylen Leah Solar Farm will significantly improve wildlife and biodiversity by transforming large areas of intensively farmed land into a network of wildlife-rich habitats managed for around 50 years. During operation, the land beneath and around the solar panels will be managed as species‑rich grassland, with enhanced hedgerows, ponds, ditches and dedicated ecological areas, while the use of pesticides and fertilisers will largely stop. This land‑use change is expected to deliver significant benefits for insects, plants, birds and mammals, including protected and priority species, by increasing food availability, improving soil health and creating undisturbed habitat. Buffers and mitigation measures will protect nearby designated wildlife sites, and long‑term ecological management plans will leave the land in a better condition for wildlife than it is today.  

There is plenty of research into the relationship between solar farms and wildlife with findings suggesting numerous benefits.

For example, a recent RSPB and University of Cambridge study found that solar farms managed with nature in mind and in areas with a greater mix of habitats, had nearly three times as many birds compared to nearby arable farmland.

If you have any specific wildlife concerns, please reach out to our team. 

Our projects have multiple direct and indirect benefits to local communities. As part of our commitment to being a good neighbour, one of the direct benefits is a community benefit fund of £400 per MWac of installed capacity.

Additional indirect benefits include improved public access, biodiversity net gain and business rate payments. The project may also offer opportunities for local suppliers to provide services and may generate local employment during the construction and operational phases. 

The development of the solar farm is not expected to have any impact on the activities currently enjoyed at the race track.

Battery storage is not proposed as part of Mylen Leah Solar Farm.

Solar panel structures will be fixed via piled metal profiles, driven to a depth of 1 metre to 4 metres (dependent upon ground conditions) to provide a firm foundation. Concrete will only used in areas where ground penetration needs to be avoided, for instance to avoid areas of archaeology and in this case a concrete ballast will be used.

The solar panels (both fixed and trackers) will have a maximum height of 3.5 metres. This has been reduced from a previous maximum height of 5.5 metres, presented at non-statutory consultation. 

The Mylen Leah Solar Farm site is not located within the proposed Yorkshire Wolds National Landscape Designation. In terms of buffer zones to National Landscape designations, there is no set distance at which potential effects should be considered.

We recognise that Island Green Power has launched Humberhead Solar into the public domain. Statkraft is not involved in the development of Humberhead Solar and the project is not related to Mylen Leah Solar Farm. The progress of this development will continue to be monitored closely and we are committed to fully assessing the potential cumulative effects of this development before submitting our DCO application should further details come forward within the appropriate timeframes. 

No, carefully designed solar farms don’t increase flood risk.

Flood risk experts conduct a full flood risk assessment as part of our pre-application surveying work and also model future extreme flooding events. Where necessary we design in mitigation measures such as additional drainage, planting or swales. 

The majority of the Site lies within Flood Zone 1, which has a low risk of flooding, and more sensitive electrical equipment will be located in these low risk areas. If solar panels are located in areas of higher flood risk, they will be raised above predicted flood levels so flood water can pass beneath them. Drainage will be carefully designed to manage surface water and ensure runoff rates are no greater than they are today, with measures secured through a Flood Risk Assessment and Construction Environmental Management Plan. 

Statkraft is committed to sustainability and responsible business practices. We source the panels for our projects from a variety of established suppliers that comply with UK laws, international standards and industry best practice.

Statkraft is a member of the Solar Stewardship Initiative which was launched in 2023 to support the development of an industry that promotes the highest possible levels of transparency, including in areas of environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and good governance.

Read more about our approach to supply chains here: Global Statement on Modern Slavery 

Roof mounted solar is becoming an increasingly familiar sight, particularly when it comes to new build developments across the UK. Recent Government policy is supportive and promotes more rooftop solar in the UK. However, rooftop solar alone cannot deliver the volume of cheap and reliable low-carbon electricity needed to meet national climate and energy security targets. Both technologies play an important role in the UK’s future energy mix.

Mylen Leah Solar Farm will not directly change individual household energy bills however, the more renewable technology that gets developed in the UK, the cheaper energy bills will become for consumers. At present, the UK's marginal cost pricing system for electricity is vulnerable to high external gas prices, which is then reflected in consumer bills.

Unfortunately, we are unable to directly offer discounted energy bills to local communities as energy bills and tariffs are controlled by energy providers.

The project is in statutory consultation phase which launched on 16 April. During this period we will be holding a series of in-person and online consultation events where you will be able to meet the project team, view and provide feedback on our developed plans.

In-person events

• Holme-on-Spalding Village Hall, YO43 4EN - Thursday 30 April, 13:00 – 20:00
• Melbourne Village Hall, YO42 4QJ - Wednesday 6 May, 13:00 – 20:00
• Bubwith Leisure and Sports Centre, YO8 6LX - Thursday 7 May, 12:00 – 18:30

Webinars

• Webinar 1 - Saturday 9 May, 10:00 – 11:00
• Webinar 2  - Monday 11 May, 18:00 – 19:00
• Webinar 3  - Wednesday 13 May, 19:00 – 20:00

Feedback

We want to hear your views on our plans. You can share your feedback via: 

• Online: Online feedback form
• Email: community@mylenleah.com 
• Freepost: FREEPOST MYLEN LEAH 
• In-person: Filling out a feedback form at our in person events 

The non-statutory consultation was held in November 2024. This involved the project hosting a series of workshops with key technical stakeholders and community groups to receive initial feedback on our proposals.

Through these dedicated workshops, local issues were identified and explored to a depth that provided the design team with sufficient detail to understand the ways in which the site could be refined at this early stage of the project.

The report from our non-statutory consultation co-design webinars can be found on our Project Documents page. 

All feedback from the workshops has been carefully reviewed, alongside results from additional studies, ahead of the statutory consultation.

Our statutory consultation on our plans for Mylen Leah Solar Farm is being held from Thursday 16 April - Thursday 28 May.  During this period, we will be holding in-person and online consultation events where you will be able to view our proposals, ask questions and provide your feedback. More information on dates and times for the in-person and online events can be found on this project website homepage.

To stay up to date with our project, you can provide contact details via our Get In Touch page. We will email you with details of major project milestones. We will also update our Project Updates page as the project progresses.  

In the meantime please do get in touch if you have any questions for the project team.