Global renewable energy company Low Carbon has successfully energised four large-scale solar projects in the UK, which will collectively deliver 133MW of clean energy to the grid and, Low Carbon claims, will reduce emissions by approximately 40,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.
The newest addition to the company’s roster, the 49.9MW Layer Solar Farm in Essex, includes a newly constructed 132kV substation, which will allow a direct grid connection for the project’s solar-generated power. The three other projects are the 23MW Crouch Solar Farm near Basildon, Braintree’s 35MW Links Solar Farm and the 25MW Maldon Wycke Solar Farm.
Roy Bedlow, Chief Executive and Founder of Low Carbon, commented: “Our dedicated team has made excellent progress in recent months energising our pipeline of projects, which are now delivering significant renewable energy capacity to the grid.
“Meanwhile, the UK just became the first G7 country to stop using coal power, and with more of our projects expected to come online in the coming months, we are looking to play a key role in helping the government deliver its 2030 Clean Power Mission.”
Low Carbon has also made significant recent strides with its 500 MW Gate Burton Energy Park project in Lincolnshire, near EDF’s former coal-fired power station Cottam, which shut its doors in 2019. Gate Burton aims to use the existing substation to utilise the area’s available capacity.
Secretary of state for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, confirmed that Gate Burton had been granted a Development Consent Order (DCO) on 12 July, alongside two other projects, the controversial 880-hectare, 350MW Mallard Pass project in Lincolnshire, co-developed by Windel Energy and Canadian Solar, and Sunnica in Suffolk and Cambrigeshire, a 500MW solar-plus-storage development
In addition, Low Carbon secured 180MW of solar capacity in the recent Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction round (AR6).
