Grupotec Renewables has started work on 12 solar farms across the UK, totalling 186MW of new capacity.

The dozen sites are all due to connected before the end of the financial year when the government will stop support for solar farms over 5MW under the renewable obligation (RO) scheme.

The 186MW portfolio is being carried out for Lightsource Renewable Energy, the UK’s largest operator of solar assets. Grupotec claims that the portfolio has required 75 company engineers to prepare and plan the 12 solar farms over the last six months.

Commenting on the project, Ander Muelas, CEO of Grupotec Renewables, explained that the company was used to working to subsidy deadlines. He said: “In a regulated market like this one, with deadlines for connecting the solar parks to the grid, our company provides a solid know-how in the phases of design and project management, with the goal of executing a significant number of installations within tight deadlines while satisfying the efficacy and efficiency standards required by our clients.”

The solar farm portfolio ranges in size from 6.5MW to 29.7MW. Grupotec claims to have completed 32 solar farms in the UK, with a combined capacity of 220MW. The company claims that, once the new 186MW portfolio is added to its tally, it will hold a market share of 8.5%.

In the rush to complete and connect the solar farms before the 31 March deadline, Grupotec expects to employ more than 3,000 workers at the sites who will install 715,000 solar modules.