Bradford City Council is pushing ahead with its ambition to develop solar farms at two sites in the region.
The council has appointed Eddisons to investigate the viability of land close to Odsal Stadium and another site in Keighley.
The Odsal site was originally earmarked for development as a solar farm as part of the £50m plan to transform the Bradford Bulls’ home into the largest covered stadium in the country, along with a new rugby league skills centre. Levelling-up funding for the plan was turned down by the government last year.
Eddisons’ head of sustainability and decarbonisation Nazar Soofi said: “Large-scale green energy projects like these could be a really significant development for Bradford City Council in helping to reach its net zero goals.”
Soofi joined Eddisons this year from Leeds City Council, where he led the £50m decarbonisation project that has become a benchmark for sustainable urban development.
“Over the coming months we will assess the viability of the project and the funding structure that would ensure it makes best use of public money,” said Soofi. “These are both brownfield sites with some contamination of the land. The development of solar farms, which would generate significant levels of renewable energy, would potentially be an innovative use for them and marks out Bradford City Council as being ahead of the curve on green issues. We will have a conclusive answer on completion of the feasibility studies.”
If the projects get planning consent, work would begin next year with the solar farms operational by 2026.
Image (l-r): Rohan Corriette, solar project manager at G&H Group, John Sharp, and James Bushell, Bradford City Council energy team
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