West Berkshire Council approved its £18.6m Grazeley Solar Farm on agricultural land at Bloomfield Hatch Farm. Council leader Jeff Brooks says it could power at least 6,000 homes; the council expects about £10m profit over 40 years. Funding still needs budget consideration.
The project’s cost has risen from around £10m at inception to £18.6m, and detailed financial information has been withheld as commercially sensitive. The report also cites an expected profit of about £400,000 a year over 30 years, without explaining how that estimate relates to the current £10m forecast over 40 years. The council says returns depend on electricity and borrowing prices, construction costs, generation performance, discount-rate assumptions and how much power can be used or sold locally.
Brooks suggested part of the scheme could come into community ownership through a public share offer, as recommended by the council’s resources and place scrutiny committee. He cited 35,000 panels and 20 MW. To meet grid-connection deadlines, the site must be ready by December 2027; Brooks said setup would take about 12 to 15 months. Modelling also considered whether power could be used across a future Ridgeway Council estate or only by West Berkshire Council when generated; Ridgeway’s formation, expected to increase demand, is paused for now.
