PLANS to create a solar farm the size of more than 160 football pitches in Grimethorpe are ‘still very much active’, according to the developers behind the scheme.

The sprawling site off Engine Lane, Grimethorpe will eventually generate enough power for the national grid to supply almost 23,000 homes.

Enviromena, the clean energy solutions company behind the plans, says the solar farm will be created on three parcels of agricultural land.

At the end of its 40-year operational life, the equipment will be removed, and recycled, with the entire site will be restored to its original form.

The plans were initially mooted in January last year, but it is understood that work is progressing and a formal application is set to be submitted to Barnsley Council in the coming months.

A spokesperson for Enviromena said: “The project is still very much active and we are finalising some external surveys to be completed in the coming months. We are aiming to submit planning in the early summer of 2024.”