North Ray Solar Farm: About The Project

North Ray is a proposed solar farm near the villages of Ludborough and North Thoresby in East Lindsey District Council, which would generate around 98 Megawatts (MW) of electricity - enough to power over 45,000 typical family homes per year.  

Project overview and development approach

The proposed site for North Ray Solar Farm has evolved considerably since initial development discussions began. The location was originally part of two separate solar projects initiated by a previous developer, with potential grid connections via either the existing Wold Newton substation or the proposed Grimsby West substation. At that stage, the wider scheme was expected to progress under the Development Consent Order (DCO) regime.

Following the project’s acquisition by TotalEnergies, we undertook a full review of the development strategy. This included assessing both the technical and community aspects of the proposal to ensure the project could be delivered in a way that is responsible, realistic, and beneficial for the local area.

During this review, several key constraints emerged - most notably, the misalignment between the project’s delivery timeline and the availability of a grid connection at Grimsby West. In response, and considering ongoing grid connection reforms in the UK, we refined our approach to focus on a single, well-defined project: North Ray Solar Farm (98 MW).

This project will deliver 98 MW of clean, electricity to the National Grid via the Wold Newton substation by 2028. The application will be submitted under the Town and Country Planning Act (TCPA) to East Lindsey District Council, enabling a locally led planning process. 

Our commitment and rationale

When TotalEnergies took on the project - originally conceived as a much larger 278 MW development (98 MW + 180 MW) - we reassessed the timeline for delivery and concluded that North Ray (98 MW) was the most suitable project to bring forward at this time. 

Our priority is to deliver a well-designed solar farm that balances renewable energy generation with local character, biodiversity enhancement, and genuine community benefits. Any future development involving a connection to Grimsby West would be treated entirely as a separate project, requiring its own planning application, full public consultation, and environmental assessment.

By working together to help shape and deliver North Ray Solar Farm (98 MW), we can bring forward a project that contributes to the UK’s clean energy goals and provides real environmental and community benefits for the local area.

Key benefits of North Ray include

•    Increasing biodiversity and improving local ecology
•    Contributing a £70,000 per annum (index-linked) Community Benefit Fund for the duration of the site’s lifespan, which is 40 years
•    Providing up to 98MW of renewable electricity to the national transmission network  

Find out more about our proposal

Learn about the consultation process

Latest News

We are at an early stage of developing our proposals for North Ray and are holding our first community consultation period from 9 October to 6 November 2025. 

We are holding two public events where you can talk to us about the proposals and give us your feedback.

Upcoming events: 
•    Tuesday 14 October, North Thoresby Village Hall, 15:00 – 19:00 
•    Tuesday 21 October, North Thoresby Village Hall, 15:00 – 19:00