Independent power producer (IPP) Low Carbon has announced it has successfully connected four new solar PV power plants to the grid.
The four projects have a combined generation capacity of 129MW and are spread across England. The largest of these developments is the Feldon Vale solar PV power plant, which is located in Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, and has a 49.9MW generation capacity.
The Pepperhill project is located in Shropshire and has a 21MW generation capacity, while the Long Meadow project is sited in Essex and has a 19MW capacity.
The final project to be connected, the Birch solar PV power plant, is also located in Essex; notably, alongside its 39MW solar PV generation capacity, it also features a 30MW co-located battery energy storage system (BESS).
Roy Bedlow, founder and chief executive of Low Carbon, commented that the company is pleased to see continued progress across its pipeline, adding: “The timely energisation of these assets will ensure they can support the government’s Clean Power 2030 ambition and boost our energy security”. Low Carbon states that it is scheduled to start construction on over 400MW of renewable energy developments in the next 18 months.
2025 – a big year for Low Carbon
The first six months of this year have seen Low Carbon make some significant moves as it expands its footprint in the UK market.
In April, the developer announced that it had submitted a planning application for the Beacon Fen Energy Park to the UK government. The proposed plant, which will be located to the east of Sleaford, Lincolnshire, will feature a 400MW solar PV power plant as well as a co-located BESS with a capacity of approximately 600MW.
Owing to its size, the project is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) and thus requires a more extensive review process through the planning inspectorate and the secretary of state for energy; the project was accepted for examination by these departments in early May.
More recently, earlier this month Low Carbon sold a pipeline of eight ready-to-build solar PV projects with a combined capacity of 350MW, as well as two energy storage projects with a total 85MW capacity, to French energy major TotalEnergies. Updates to Companies House revealed that at least three of these projects – the 39MW Callie’s Solar Farm, the 49.9MW Longlands Solar Farm, and the 34MW Two Tree Solar Farm, secured Contracts for Difference (CfDs) in the 2024 Allocation Round 6, with the 49.9MW Parham Airfield Solar Farm landing a contract in the 2022 Allocation Round 4.
Energy minister Michael Shanks will give the keynote at Solar Media’s Clean Power 2030 Summits, held in London on 1-2 July. Bringing together the UK Solar Summit, the Wind Power Finance & Investment Summit and the Green Hydrogen Summit, the CP2030 Summits cover all the key technologies outlined in the government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.
Book tickets and view the full agenda here. Use code SPP20 for an exclusive discount!
