Solar farm proposed to support Blackpool Airport

Initial proposals for a solar farm on land south of Blackpool Airport’s main runway have been submitted to Fylde Council.

The proposed 20MVA solar farm would allow the airport to generate its own renewable electricity, reducing energy bills and its carbon footprint, while also enabling Blackpool Council to reduce its overall net electricity consumption by up to 75%.

Additional renewable energy would also support plans for Silicon Sands, a high-performance data centre campus north of the current airfield.

Silicon Sands aims to create a series of renewably powered data centres to create quality jobs on the Fylde coast. The development would also aim to promote carbon friendly data centre practice, through use of liquid immersion cooling and reusing the waste energy in a district heat network.

The power generated from the solar farm will also help equip Blackpool Airport to support the next generation of sustainable hybrid/electric battery powered aircraft.

Cllr Jane Hugo, Cabinet Member for Climate Change at Blackpool Council, said: “Tackling the climate emergency is a major priority for Blackpool.

“The Council and its companies own a significant number of buildings and homes, as well as an airport, all of which are large energy consumers.

‘’These solar farm proposals would allow us to generate our own green energy, reducing our carbon emissions and energy bills considerably. It will also help support our plans to grow the local economy, by providing green energy to data centres and businesses at Silicon Sands, as well as helping the airport to explore the next generation of sustainable aviation.”

A screening application for the solar farm has been submitted to Fylde Council, which could lead to it being operational by the latter end of the decade.

If approved, the solar farm would also support Blackpool Airport’s plans to reduce its energy bills and make best use of unused and areas of land which are expensive to maintain.

This would mean the closure of the smaller 13/31 crosswind runway. Currently runway 13/31 costs significantly more money to maintain than it generates in aeronautical and commercial revenue, with only 4% of flights using the runway in 2023, while an emerging masterplan for building new hangars and aviation facilities closer to the runway would also mean it closing in future years.

 Steve Peters, Managing Director of Blackpool Airport said: “This is an opportunity for the airport to make best use of the land by repurposing it so that it creates a revenue stream for the airport while reducing our energy bills and supporting our ten-year plan to become more financially sustainable.

“Installing solar farms at airports is increasingly common, with operational farms at Gatwick, Belfast, Southend, Newquay and plans for more at Edinburgh, Glasgow and other airports in the UK and across the world.

“Runway 28/10 at 1,800 metres long provides good capability for a busy airport which handles around 40,000 flight movements per year, and this move would support our wider plans to improve the airport even further in the coming years.” 

A buffer zone of trees and landscaping would be designed around the southern edge of the solar farm where it meets properties around Leach Lane in Lytham St Annes.

Blackpool Airport is wholly owned by Blackpool Council, which purchased it in 2017, while the land sits within Fylde Council’s boundary for planning purposes.

The screening opinion submission to Fylde Council is the first stage of the planning process to determine whether an Environmental Impact Assessment is needed and residents near the solar farm development will be invited to see the plans in more detail in the coming weeks.

Planning support on the solar farm has been provided by the Enterprise Zone consultants Cassidy + Ashton, along with feasibility studies from Horizon Power and Energy.