UK’s Largest Solar Park, Cleve Hill, Reaches Commercial Operations Milestone

Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners, a global investment manager specializing in energy transition infrastructure, has announced the completion of construction and the start of commercial operations at the Cleve Hill Solar Park in Kent, United Kingdom. The project is now generating electricity at its full capacity of 373 megawatts (MW) direct current (dc), making it the largest operational solar project in the UK—more than four times the size of the country’s next largest solar installation. During its commissioning phase in May, Cleve Hill’s output peaked at a level equal to 0.7 percent of the UK’s national electricity demand.

Cleve Hill holds the distinction of being the first solar and battery storage project in the UK to receive approval as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). It is also supported by the largest combined solar and battery storage financing ever completed in the country. Quinbrook previously announced a financing deal that included a £218.5 million term loan and a £20 million VAT facility, arranged with Lloyds Bank and NatWest. Construction is currently underway on a 150 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) that will be co-located with the solar park. Once completed, this will make Cleve Hill the largest co-located solar and battery storage project ever built in the UK.

Keith Gains, Managing Director and UK Regional Leader for Quinbrook, stated, “Cleve Hill sets a new benchmark for large-scale solar projects to help decarbonise the UK power system and demonstrates how investing in the infrastructure needed to transition the UK to clean energy can support local communities and create new jobs.. Reaching commercial operations is a major technical, construction and financial achievement for our teams, our partners and our investors. Cleve Hill was not an easy project to build and we overcame many challenges along the way. The UK’s ongoing commitment to progress its energy transition and decarbonise the economy represents a strong conviction as a nation to a renewable energy future, one that is underpinned by a huge pipeline of large-scale infrastructure projects that will support growth, jobs and cheaper power for UK households.”

Rory Quinlan, Quinbrook’s Co-Founder and Managing Partner, mentioned, “Quinbrook is proud to further enhance our track record of successfully delivering milestone infrastructure projects that create such a meaningful and positive impact for the UK’s energy transition. Projects like Cleve Hill set new scale benchmarks that should increase confidence that the UK’s renewables targets can be achieved.”

The project was granted development consent in May 2020 and construction began in early 2023. Quinbrook worked in partnership with its development affiliate, Private Energy Partners, to deliver the project. In addition to its infrastructure milestones, Cleve Hill was also the first solar NSIP to be awarded a Contract for Difference (CfD) by the UK’s Low Carbon Contracts Company. It received the largest CfD allocation for a solar project in the fourth round of the government’s auction scheme.

To further support long-term stability, Quinbrook secured a corporate power purchase agreement (PPA) with Tesco PLC, marking the largest solar corporate PPA ever signed in the UK. Cleve Hill is expected to deliver significant environmental and economic benefits. It aims to reduce carbon emissions by over 142,000 tonnes in its first year of operation. Over its lifetime, the project is projected to support more than 2,500 direct and indirect jobs and contribute over £114 million in socio-economic value to the local community.