A NATIONAL solar energy company has its eyes on a second site in Pembrokeshire.

A notification of a proposal for a ‘development of national significance’ (DNS) has been accepted and published by the Planning Inspectorate Wales from Wessex Solar Energy in relation to a site near Cosheston.

Lower Nash Farm, off Blackberry Lane, Nash could be home to a 22 MW photovoltaic solar farm of around 66,000 panels, 1.6m x 1.1m, if the planning is approved, with the applicant having 12 months to submit its plans for decision.

The proposed site is made up  of eight fields, covering around 36.9hectares, with the plan including the necessary infrastructure to connect the power generated to an existing substation at Golden Hill, operated by Western Power Distribution.

A pre-application consultation will also be required, with a report to be submitted with any application, a letter from the Planning Inspectorate states.

The application also requires an environmental impact assessment (EIA) with an initial scoping direction stating that the development would take around six months to build with an operational life of 40 years.

Mitigating the impact on badger, dormouse, bats and other ecological factors as well as visual impact will all be considered as part of the application.

Wessex Solar Energy run an 8MW solar farm at Chapel Hill, near Pembroke, with more than 38,000 solar panels generating around 8,000,000kWh on average a year.

Any comments on the notification of development can be made to Wessex Solar Energy before November 6.