British Gas owner Centrica has switched on its first UK solar farm in Wiltshire.
Made up of 33,000 panels, the 18MW Codford Solar Farm, near Warminster, is designed to provide enough electricity to power close to 5,000 homes.
Centrica said it had plans to build out a portfolio of renewable energy assets, and its new array would help it to deliver 900MW of low carbon assets by 2026.
READ MORE: Cero Generation and Enso Energy open UK's first transmission-connected solar farm
Telecoms giant Vodafone will purchase half of the electricity output from the solar farm, helping to support its development and bringing additional renewable power provision to the UK grid. Combined with agreements already in place, around half of the company’s annual energy requirement will come from UK-based renewable power sources by 2025.
The long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) will see approximately 9GWh of green electricity dedicated to Vodafone UK. The remainder will be sold into the national grid through Centrica’s Energy Marketing and Trading business.
Centrica chief executive Chris O’Shea said: “Centrica is a uniquely integrated energy company well positioned to both drive, and benefit from, the energy transition. I’m delighted that we’re now back building assets, focussing on clean electricity generation and storage.
“That integration stretches from the construction of new generating assets such as Codford to the movement of power across Europe and we’ve rapidly built a reputation as a leading player in European energy markets, supporting grid operators with sourcing the power they need to maintain a secure supply and supporting organisations such as Vodafone to help reach its net zero ambitions.”
Chirs Skidmore, MP for Kingswood in South Gloucestershire and a former energy minister who signed the UK's commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 commitment into law, attended the opening of the solar farm, saying it was “pioneering” the UK’s clean energy solutions.
Mr Skidmore said: “Our journey to net zero has already started and by opening this plant we are taking an important step forward towards unlocking the opportunities it will bring.”
Construction began at the site in Wiltshire in April last year, after the consent was acquired by Centrica Business Solutions in 2021. Centrica has committed to reach Net Zero by 2045 and for its customers by 2050.
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