Project Evolution
Since the project was first introduced in 2023, its design has been significantly refined in response to technical studies, environmental assessments and extensive community feedback.
In 2025, as part of our non-statutory consultation we presented an updated design for Calderdale Energy Park. This design included 41 wind turbines and a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), removed the inclusion of solar panels, and included adjusted access routes and grid connection routes.
Following feedback from the local community and ongoing technical and environmental work and assessments, the 2026 design reflects substantial changes to ensure the project is environmentally sensitive, technically robust and responsive to local views.
Key updates to the emerging design include:
- Removal of the BESS, following feedback and additional technical and environmental work.
- Further reduction in turbine numbers to a proposed maximum of 34, down from 65 in 2023 and 41 in 2025.
- Updated export capacity, the project is now expected to export up to 240 MW of electricity – enough to power 198,000 homes a year.
- Refined grid connection point, the project initially considered four grid connection options. Further technical work and feedback identified Bradford West Substation as the closest substation and the connection option with the least potential environmental impact.
These revisions to the design have been shaped by the feedback we received during the Non‑Statutory Consultation held in 2025, as well as insights from our ongoing environmental and technical assessments.
Benefits for Calderdale and West Yorkshire
Calderdale Energy Park will bring substantial economic and employment benefits to Calderdale and the wider region. Key benefits include:
Investment in Calderdale
Generating more than £33 million Gross Value Added (GVA) for the Calderdale economy. This is a major financial boost, supporting economic growth and job creation for local communities across Calderdale, Bradford and Pendle.
Job Creation
Calderdale Energy Park will generate employment opportunities during construction and long-term operation, particularly in renewable energy and infrastructure. During the development and construction phase, Calderdale Energy Park will generate around 198 job years of employment. Once operational, the project would support 10 local FTE jobs.
Workforce Development
Partnerships with local education providers will help equip people with the skills needed for careers in clean energy.
Community Benefit Fund
A dedicated fund will be established worth £5,000 per MW, index linked for the lifetime of the project. Based on the current project design, this fund would be worth £1.2m per year or £42m over a 35-year operational life. This fund would be managed by a local organisation(s) to deliver wide-ranging and long-lasting benefits for the area.
Local Business Opportunities
We are committed to working with regional suppliers and contractors to maximise economic benefits. Our analysis suggests that businesses in Calderdale could secure contracts worth £57.7m.
Environmental Impact
Calderdale Energy Park will contribute to the UK’s Net Zero targets by generating clean energy and reducing carbon emissions associated with energy generation.
Turbine Layout
The design of the turbine layout continues to be an iterative process, and the layout has been adjusted as additional environmental and technical information became available. The layout will be reviewed following Statutory Consultation before being finalised for the Environmental Statement assessment. We have produced an indicative flythrough of what the site would look like based on the current design.
Connecting Calderdale Energy Park into the National Grid
During the non-statutory consultation we presented the community and consultees with four potential grid connection options. These were:
- A connection via Northern Powergrid at the Bradford West substation
- A connection via Electricity North West at the Rochdale substation
- A connection via NESO at a new substation north of Leeds
- A connection via Electricity North West at the Elland Sub Station in Elland south of Halifax
Due to the uncertainty on the exact location of a future Leeds North substation and the timings of the NESO grid Gate 2 reforms we decided after the scoping stage to only take forward a connection to the Bradford West substation as part of the PEIR assessment and requested a formal change to the Bradford West substation under the existing NESO Leeds North grid connection offer, as part of the Gate 2 reform process.
The draft corridor avoids sensitive areas where possible, including SSSIs, woodland, major watercourses and roads. Where avoidance is not possible, the route follows existing road corridors or uses trenchless construction such as Horizontal Directional Drilling to minimise disruption.
We are exploring a potential underground cable route to connect Calderdale Energy Park to Bradford West Substation within the Bradford West Cable Corridor. The route is not final and is being developed with National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET), Northern Powergrid, local authorities, consultees and landowners.
The draft cable corridor is below:
Construction Access and Transport Routes
The project’s construction access strategy has also been refined to minimise disruption and enhance safety. Two access points remain under consideration:
- West (A6068) – for HGVs, construction vehicles, workforce traffic and Abnormal Indivisible Loads (AILs)
- East (A6033) – for HGVs, construction traffic and staff movements
During the earlier non-statutory consultation, both western and eastern AIL routes were presented. Further assessment has confirmed the western route (via the A6068) as the proposed AIL route, as it avoids sensitive environmental and heritage features.
This route includes two sections of ‘offline’ access across rural land to reduce impacts on assets along School Road and Lancashire Moor Road. These offline sections will be built to appropriate highway standards for AIL transport and are intended to remain in place for the full operational life of Calderdale Energy Park to support future turbine component deliveries.
Although the western route is now preferred for AIL movements, both access routes are still being developed and will continue to be refined through ongoing technical work and engagement.
Get in touch
Community information line:
01422 702506
Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:30 pm
Email us at:
info@calderdaleenergypark.co.uk
Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:30 pm
Write to us:
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