Major solar farm proposal unveiled
Lewis Smith, Local democracy reporter
Developers have unveiled early plans for a 40MW solar farm with panels standing up to three metres high.
It is a proposal that could eventually see the creation of the new solar energy site on 81-hectares of land around 220 metres east of junction 39 of the M4, near Margam, Port Talbot.
The proposed site which, could eventually power more than 10,000 homes, is based on the plateau at Margam Mountain, east of Port Talbot and the M4 within Margam Mountain Historic Landscape.
Developers say the area already has a grid connection on site, meaning the project could begin without the need to build new pylons or overhead lines.
The plans were revealed by renewable energy company Qualitas Energy in 2025 as part of their second project in Wales, with another solar scheme already proposed for Carmarthenshire.
It comes as a request for a scoping opinion was also sent in to Neath Port Talbot Council in December 2025 to outline what environmental effects should be considered ahead of a consultation and full planning application.
A section of the proposal on the website for the Port Talbot Solar Farm says: “We are currently at an early stage of preparing our plans for the site and the scheme’s design will be refined as the plans progress and we obtain local feedback.
“As part of this, we have submitted a scoping opinion request to Neath Port Talbot Council that considers what topics should be assessed in the environmental statement.
“We are exploring options to deliver solar panels on the centre and east of the site, with the west of the site reserved for mitigation and enhancements for nature.
“The existing public right of way running through the site will be retained in its current position, and we would also protect existing vegetation and hedgerows on the site.”
It adds: “Once operational, the solar farm would generate c.40MW of clean energy every year – enough to power approximately 10,770 homes, more than half of the homes in Port Talbot.”
Once completed the design life of the proposed solar farm is expected to be for up to 40 years with site activities restricted to maintenance and sheep grazing during its operation phase.
Developers say they will now hold a 28-day statutory pre-application consultation in the spring of 2026 to gather a wide range of responses before a full planning application is submitted to Neath Port Talbot Council for consideration.
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Why not use the site of the steelworks for the solar farm. With most of the area now not needed, surely a brownfield site would be better than green space. Oh wait, no, it is more expensive isn’t it?
It is long past time that the negative effect of solar on our grid was appreciated and balanced against the very poor performance they offer; around 11 percent of nameplate capacity, and very little in winter when we need most power.
It can swamp the grid in summer, and being largely out of the grids control, means expensive curtailment of other sources.
If only those who approve these projects were educated on the very real and negative effect of these farms.