Oxfordshire County Council is assessing the potential purchase of a solar farm at an undisclosed site in the county to help meet its own energy needs, reduce its carbon footprint and deliver a financial return for taxpayers.

The council's cabinet will be asked on Tuesday, 14 July to authorise progression to "due diligence" on the deal, which will be discussed in a closed session.

Commercial details, including the price, are legally confidential until due diligence is completed. The proposal would then return to cabinet for open debate.

The acquisition would be financed through borrowing, with income generated over the farm's operational life expected to cover costs and provide additional revenue for council services.

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Councillor Dan Levy, Oxfordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Finance, Property and Transformation said: "This scheme would involve an up-front cost but it would be covered by the amount of money it would generate for the council while at the same time making a material contribution to our own future carbon management.

"This combination of support for the council’s climate objectives and the prospect of long-term financial returns is why we want to look further in to progressing the potential scheme. There would be future opportunities for the council and the taxpayer to avoid costs."

While the solar farm would export electricity to the national grid rather than directly powering local homes, planning permission requires the developer to provide community benefit funding, expected to support local groups, education and related initiatives.

The project is forecast to produce around 52,000 MWh of renewable electricity annually, cutting reliance on fossil fuels and supporting national and local decarbonisation goals. It is expected to offset approximately 2,600 tonnes of CO2e by 2030 and between 25,000 and 36,000 tonnes over its lifetime.