Renewable energy company Low Carbon has announced the construction of three new large-scale UK solar farms.
Located in Essex, Derbyshire and Buckinghamshire, the farms will be the first UK projects to receive funding using the business’s multi-bank financing facility from NatWest, Lloyds Bank, and AIB.
Announced in September, the facility is targeting 1GW of solar capacity, as part of Low Carbon’s target to create 20GW of new renewable energy capacity by the end of the decade.
The news follows Low Carbon’s recent announcement of four solar farms totalling 53.1MW entering construction in the Netherlands
Construction at Fox Covert Solar Farm, Buckinghamshire, is due to commence imminently, with an intended capacity of 23.4MW. At its peak, the site will generate enough clean renewable electricity to power the equivalent of more than 7300 homes and provide electricity directly to the local distribution network.
Work on the other two sites, at the Inkersall Road Solar Farm in Derbyshire and the St Clere’s Solar Farm in Essex, will begin in the early new year. They will have a capacity of 28.8MW and 23MW respectively.
With a combined capacity of over 75MW, the three sites represent an important addition to Low Carbon’s growing project portfolio in the UK, Europe and North America.
The design and build of all three projects will be delivered by Bouygues Energies & Services, a global leader in energy, digital and industrial transformation.
Roy Bedlow, Chief Executive and Founder at Low Carbon, said: “Climate change is a shared global challenge, in which the energy sector plays a major part. Amidst soaring energy prices, the rapid creation of new renewable energy capacity is essential to many UK homes and businesses. We are therefore delighted to be announcing the first three of many UK-based projects financed with the help of NatWest, Lloyds Bank and AIB.
“Only by accelerating the rollout of clean, affordable energy can we fully decarbonise and achieve our shared climate goals. Today’s announcement also marks an important step towards Low Carbon’s own strategic targets of net zero and 20GW of new renewable energy capacity by 2030.”