Project information

Project location

Whitestone is a proposed solar farm that would be located in South Yorkshire, between Rotherham and Doncaster. The project is located across three sections, Whitestone 1 in the north near Conisbrough, Whitestone 2 in the centre around Ulley, and Whitestone 3, in the south near Harthill and Woodall.

The project would connect into the new National Grid substation near Brinsworth on Long Lane. Underground cables would connect the three sections of the project together and into the grid connection.

The map to the right shows the ‘solar site’ in green. These areas include solar panels and other infrastructure as well as the areas set aside for wildlife. The areas shown in blue are for the underground cables and access roads. After construction, these cables would be not be visible and normal activities could continue above them.

Detailed proposals

The detailed masterplans are shown to the right. These maps show the indicative project design, including the areas for solar panels, substations, and battery storage.

The masterplans also show areas set aside for wildlife and environmental mitigation. These areas would be planted with a mix of native grasses and wildflowers to protect native wildlife and increase biodiversity.

The masterplans also show proposed landscaping to mitigate potential visual impacts. These trees and hedges would provide a natural screen to reduce views of the solar panels and other infrastructure.

Click here to view the updated masterplans for:

• Whitestone 1
• Whitestone 2
• Whitestone 3
• The whole project over 7 pages

Project Development

We have held two rounds on consultation on our proposals for Whitestone. Feedback from these consultations as well as the results of environmental and technical assessments has resulted in significant changes to the project design.

Initial design (Autumn 2024)

During the first consultation, we presented the initial proposals for Whitestone, which can be found here: Whitestone 1, Whitestone 2, and Whitestone 3.

Updated design (Spring 2025)

In response to feedback from the community and other stakeholders, we removed around one quarter of the solar areas to create buffers around homes, villages, and the public rights of way. Most of these areas were still included in the project boundary, and would be used for environmental mitigation and enhancement. This means that they would not have any above-ground infrastructure, but would be planted with a mix of native wildflowers and grasses to support wildlife. They are marked in green in the updated masterplans saved here: Whitestone 1, Whitestone 2, and Whitestone 3.

Second consultation (Autumn 2025)

During the second consultation, we presented the updated masterplans that included potential locations for the substations and batteries, as well as the potential cable route options to connect the three parts of the project together and into the National Grid. The masterplans from the second consultation are here for Whitestone 1, Whitestone 2, Whitestone 3, and the whole project.

Project Update (March 2026)

In response to feedback from the second consultation, we have further refined the masterplan. This includes a reduction of solar areas around homes, villages, and public rights of way. We have also been able to select the locations of the substations, batteries, and cable route corridors to reduce optionality wherever possible. The updated masterplans are saved here.

This map shows how the developable areas, which include solar panels and substations, have reduced over time in response to feedback. The total developable area is now 37% smaller than the initial masterplan.

Why solar?

The UK has committed to eliminating fossil fuels from the power supply, to provide energy security and reduce future energy costs while supporting the fight against climate change. Now that the last coal power station in the UK, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, has been closed down, new renewable energy sources are needed to come forward to keep the lights on. At the same time, our demand for electricity continues to increase and is projected to double by 2050. To meet these future energy needs, we must quickly ramp up production of renewable energy here in the UK.

The Clean Power 2030 mission sets a goal to triple solar capacity by 2030, while also ramping up onshore and offshore wind development. Solar and wind work well together, and a mix of both helps provide stability to the energy supply.

The Solar Roadmap explains how the UK will achieve the Clean Power mission and includes new mechanisms to increase rooftop solar installations. From 2027, most new homes will be required to include solar panels, known as the Future Homes Standard. We support the ‘rooftop revolution’ and continue to explore commercial rooftop installations as part of our broader business, but note that large scale solar developments are needed to produce enough energy to meet our national energy goals.

Green spaces

In addition to the technical components that are needed for the project to operate, there would be green spaces beneath, between and around the panels. These areas would not have any above-ground infrastructure, and would be planted with a mix of native species, including grasses, wildflowers, hedges and trees to support local wildlife. These spaces would help reduce potential impacts by creating offsets away from key locations, including homes and public rights of way as well as environmental and culturally sensitive locations.