Work underway at Wrigley Head Solar Farm

Work is underway on Oldham’s first solar farm, a council-funded clean energy scheme next to the Rochdale Canal in Failsworth.

Around 2,700 solar panels are due to be installed on land at Wrigley Head in Failsworth. The project on the ‘derelict’ 3.5 acre plot, bound by the Metrolink and canal routes, will help make the borough ‘more green’, create local green jobs, and bring down energy costs, according to the council.

Cllr Abdul Jabbar MBE, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate Services and Sustainability, said: “Wrigley Head Solar Farm is an important step for Oldham. It will generate renewable energy, support local jobs and training, and contribute to protecting our environment.”

Oldham West MP Jim McMahon described the project as a ‘positive development for the community’. 

The solar farm will be constructed over the next few months by North West-based contractor Vital Energi, who will use local suppliers wherever possible. The facility is due to become operational in spring 2026.

solar farm is expected to generate approximately 830,000 kWh of electricity per year, enough to power around 310 homes. The electricity will initially be sold to a power company, the council have confirmed. 

The solar farm is the first major clean energy generation project to be constructed as part of Oldham’s Green New Deal programme, and the project aims to both reduce the Council’s carbon footprint and improve the site in terms of ecology.

The project will also improve conditions for wildlife on the site. New trees and flowers will be planted, and security fencing has been designed to allow animals to move freely through the area.

The project was initially due to be completed for autumn 2025, but encountered delays after facing a ‘number of challenges’. These included late changes to the plans, such as the route of underground cabling and location of a substation, which will now be erected closer to the Metrolink.

The plans have already faced several years of delay. First conceived of in 2018, the plans had to be shelved entirely during the pandemic.

The scheme was later resurrected and approved in 2021 in the hopes it would reduce CO2 emissions by 50 tonnes a year and help save on council energy bills.

The council has not yet updated the cost of construction, which was last estimated to be around £1.35m in a 2023 feasibility study. The cost will be funded by the council’s capital spending pot.