Belectric Solar signs agreement to add 150MWp of solar capacity to its O&M footprint

Construction engineering company Belectric Solar has signed a framework agreement with NextEnergy Solar Fund to add more than 150MWp in solar farm capacity to its operation and maintenance (O&M) footprint.

Via the agreement, which is set for the next three years, Belectric will add an expected portfolio of at least ten solar farms, with a total capacity of more than 150MWp, to its O&M footprint across the UK. This is following a competitive tender process run by WiseEnergy.

The solar power plants will consist of projects ranging from 5MWp to 34MWp and will be situated across areas of England including Dorset, East Sussex and Lincolnshire. 

“We are proud that WiseEnergy has chosen us to take care of such an extensive portfolio of solar projects. Belectric brings more than 20 years of experience in various climate zones to the table,” said Barry Bennett, managing director at Belectric Solar UK.

“With an O&M footprint of a few hundred MWp in the United Kingdom alone and 1.7GWp on a global scale, we are one of the leading operations and maintenance service providers in the solar industry. WiseEnergy will benefit from our in-depth expertise.”

The announcement did not say whether Belectric or another engineering company would be building the projects. 

NextEnergy Solar Fund acquired a “strategic portfolio” of battery storage development projects located in a grid-congested area in the East of England, in October 2022.

The solar PV and energy storage investment vehicle said it had acquired the 250MW portfolio of two-hour duration (500MWh) battery projects from an undisclosed developer. The value of the deal was disclosed however, at £32.5 million. The fund also celebrated the start of operation of its 100th solar PV plant in 2022.

“We are delighted to start our strategic relationship with Belectric following what was an extremely competitive tender process,” said Dan Kingscote, commercial and strategic projects manager at WiseEnergy.

“Through the tender process we have looked to extract more value from our contractors by applying an innovative approach to O&M; throughout the process we have been impressed with Belectric’s diligence, industry knowledge and alignment with the values which we have applied to try and approach traditional O&M challenges in a novel way. We look forward to working with them.”