A giant solar farm being built on the site of a former airbase in north Norfolk will become one of the biggest in Britain when it is completed later this year.

About 70 jobs are being created during the construction of the second and final phase of Scottow Moor Limited's solar farm which is now under way at Scottow Enterprise Park, once part of RAF Coltishall.

More than 70,000 solar panels are being installed next to the runways at the former airbase and will help generate enough clean energy to power the equivalent of up to 15,000 homes, with a CO2 saving of nearly 20,000 tonnes per annum. The near 50MW solar farm is expected to be completed by the end of March and generate more than £10m for Norfolk County Council over 25 years.

And the local authority, which owns the enterprise park, revealed it would use the cash to attract more new jobs to the area.

Colleen Walker, chairman of Norfolk County Council's economic development sub-committee, said: 'Once the second phase of the solar farm is complete, the county council will generate income in excess of £10m over 25 years, with this money reinvested in the enterprise park to boost job creation, protect key heritage assets at the site, and open up public access.'

The start of the second phase of the solar farm comes nine months after the first phase entered commercial operation.

The developers have warned of road closures in and around Sloley over the next fortnight to enable an underground cable connection to be laid between the solar farm and a nearby UKPN sub-station.

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