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Solar Power: Decommissioning

Asked by Kevin HollinrakeConservativeDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled Answered 13 January 2026UIN 102809

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what guidance his Department has issued on the decommissioning of large-scale solar installations at the end of their operational life.

Answered by Michael Shanks

The department has not published any separate guidance on the decommissioning of solar farms.

However, as set out in the Overarching National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1) and the National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy (EN-3), developers must set out in their planning applications arrangements for decommissioning projects. It is typically a condition of planning consent that the site should be returned to its previous use after decommissioning.

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