The largest UK solar plant to date is up and running. Construction is complete at the 373 MW Cleve Hill Solar Park and commercial operations have begun. The project is now able to export 100% of its capacity to the grid, more than four times the electricity exported by the next largest operational UK project, according to project developer Quinbrook.
Cleve Hill was the first solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) project to be granted consent through the UK government’s Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project process in 2020 – its 150 MW/300 MWh co-located BESS remains under construction.
The project has made headlines throughout its development. In 2022, Cleve Hill secured the largest award for a solar project in the fourth allocation round of the UK government’s Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme. The project also broke records in fall 2024 when Quinbrook signed the largest UK PPA to date with supermarket retailer Tesco for 65% of the site's capacity, as well as a 10-year route-to-market agreement with Shell Energy Europe Limited, which will see the energy giant trade the remaining 35% capacity contracted through Cleve Hill's CfD.
Financial backing for the project includes a GBP 218.5 million ($299.8 million) term loan and a GBP 20 million VAT facility with Lloyds and NatWest, which Quinbrook said makes it the largest solar and storage project financing undertaken in the United Kingdom to date.
Cleve Hill was initially developed as a joint enterprise between Wirsol and Hive Energy, before Quinbrook acquired the project in 2021. Construction started at the site in early 2023.
In a press release, Keith Gains, managing director and UK regional leader for Quinbrook, described Cleve Hill reaching commercial operations as a “major technical, construction and financial achievement four our teams, our partners and investors.”
