Local benefits

Statkraft places a high importance on being a good neighbour. Our aim is to have the least impact and provide the most benefit to the communities in which we operate. There are many ways in which local communities can benefit from renewable energy projects, and we want to hear your views on how this project can benefit yours.

Community fund

Our renewable projects generate valuable funds for the communities where they're sited. In 2024 we doubled this fund so that solar farms we develop generate £400 per MWac of operational capacity.

At the public consultation in 2021 we committed to delivering a Community Benefit Fund of £50,000 each year. This figure was linked to the Retail Price Index to account for inflation, and is now worth around £68,000. This fund is dedicated to projects that help accelerate the aims of local communities to make a positive difference. This could include initiatives such as :

Improving local infrastructure such as community broadband, EV charging, or new walking and cycling routes
Upgrading community buildings
Supporting local sports groups
Environmental enhancements
Skills and education programmes

How it works

The fund is independently administered by a third-party organisation. Final decisions on grant allocation would be made by a local panel of community representatives, and not by Statkraft.

Where it funds

Community and environmental projects within the parishes closest to the project.

When it starts

The earliest possible start date for the fund would be 2027, when Stargoose Solar Farm will be operational .

Biodiversity

By providing an alternative to oil and gas, renewable projects can combat the climate crisis. But our projects are also designed to tackle the biodiversity crisis, and ecology has been an important consideration throughout the design of Stargoose Solar Farm.

We have worked with ecology specialists to identify habitats and species present on and around the site, including hedgerows, birds, bats, badgers and great crested newts. The findings have been used to shape the project layout and avoid impact where possible.

The solar farm has been designed to remain within the existing arable fields, with important habitat features such as hedgerows, woodland, grassland margins and ponds retained and protected. During construction, measures will be put in place to safeguard wildlife, including exclusion buffers around badger setts and nearby ponds, protection for trees and hedgerows, and restrictions on vegetation clearance during the bird nesting season.

We have worked with the to design a site where wildlife can thrive. At Stargoose biodiversity enhancements include new woodland planting, species-rich wildflower grassland, hedgerow improvements, bird and bat boxes, and habitat management designed to support local wildlife throughout the lifetime of the solar farm.

It is often assumed that fields are wildlife havens, but this isn’t always the case. Large fields growing a single crop leave little room for diverse plants and animals. The ecological assessment submitted as part of the Stargoose application concluded that the biodsiversity measures planned would deliver a significant biodiversity net gain of 179% compared with the existing arable land use.

View documents for further information>

Local suppliers

There are many opportunities for local companies to get involved in supplying our projects through development, construction and operations. We keep a register of interested suppliers.

Complete the supplier registration form >

Wider benefits

Energy stability

The proposed project will generate enough electricity to power thousands of homes and businesses, helping to end our reliance on fossil fuels, preventing the worsening effects of climate change whilst bring secure and predicable power to our homes and businesses, helping us to be energy independent, and keeping our bills more stable.

Woman and little child hugging in a windfarm.

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