Cressing solar farm

EDF power solutions is planning to develop Cressing Solar Farm, a new solar farm on two areas of land south of Braintree, connecting to the national electricity grid at the nearby Braintree Substation.

The solar farm that we are looking at is divided into two sites: Cressing, which has received planning consent, and Cressing extension, which is in the early stages of development.

As with all of our operational solar farms, we will put in place a community fund worth around £20,000 over the lifetime of the scheme, as well as improving biodiversity and soil health.

We want your views on our proposals. This webpage introduces the Cressing solar farm and sets out how you can respond to a public consultation on our proposals for the Cressing extension.

Cressing solar farm is split across two different sites:

• Cressing – this 24MW solar farm received planning consent from Braintree District in February 2025 following a thorough consultation with the local community. The site was then successful in securing a Contract for Difference in February 2026, providing electricity to the National Grid at a fixed price once it reaches generation.
• Cressing extension – we are bringing forward our plans for an extension to our original Cressing project in order for us to make best use of the available connection we have secured at Braintree substation. We always intended to bring forward a project that made the best use of our grid connection and the associated infrastructure, but we have not been able to do so until now. See below for details of our upcoming public consultation.

We are keen to get feedback from the local community on our plans for the solar farm extension. A public consultation will run until Sunday 4 October. As part of this, we hosted an exhibition event on Tuesday 8th September at Bradwell Village Hall. Thank you to those members of the community who were able to join us and spoke to the project team.

We have added the consultation materials to the document section below and would encourage you to review them and share your feedback via our online feedback form: https://cressing.questionpro.com/t/Adl8RZ9psx

Alternatively, get in touch using one of the following methods:

• Contact us at 020 3667 4506
• Reach out by email to cressing@secnewgate.co.uk
• Write to us at FREEPOST SEC NEWGATE UK LOCAL – CRESSING EXTENSION

Cressing Solar Farm would use photovoltaic (PV) panels to generate electricity from the sun. These panels would be mounted on the ground in rows. They would be set at an angle of around 20 degrees, with a maximum height of 3 metres and gaps between the rows. The panels would be surrounded by deer fencing with a field gate at the site entrances.

Both parts of the solar farm would connect to the National Grid at the existing Braintree Substation. We would install an underground cable to connect the two sites to each other and to the substation.

A map showing the location of both of the solar farms can be found within the document section further down this webpage.

There are a number of measures we can take to better design the project and minimise the impact on local people. This includes buffers between properties and the developable area and adopting a landscape-led approach which reduces the visibility of the solar panels from local roads and buildings.