Danish Energy Company Expands To UK Solar Market

• Ørsted is venturing into the UK solar market with a 740 MW solar farm in Nottinghamshire 
• The PS Renewables' project is planned to also have an energy storage component  
• Targeted to come online before 2030, the project partners plan to market electricity generated through CfD and bilateral offtake agreements  

Denmark's Ørsted has expanded its solar footprint to the UK by agreeing to invest in what it says is one of the largest solar projects in the country, a 740 MW solar farm with associated battery storage, in a co-development partnership with local developer PS Renewables.  

One of the largest solar PV projects in the UK, the One Earth Solar Farm is proposed to be located in Nottinghamshire near the border of Lincolnshire. The Danish company is taking a phased ownership in the project, incumbent on the achievement of key milestones.  

Ørsted said the renewable electricity produced will be marketed via various routes, including contracts for difference (CfD) and bilateral contracts with corporate offtakers. The 2 partners plan to bring the project online before 2030.   

"With a strong Irish onshore portfolio already in place, we are delighted to begin our journey in the UK solar market with PS Renewables, who have been successfully delivering large-scale solar projects for more than a decade," said Ørsted's Senior Vice President of Onshore in Region Europe, Kieran White.  

The company announced its entry into the Irish solar market in 2022 with a 65 MW solar plant it acquired from Terra Solar (see Europe PV News Snippets).  

One Earth Solar Farm will be realized post local and stakeholder consultation which is part of the process of nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIP). Post this milestone, the duo plans to submit a development consent order in 2025.   

Solar energy is enjoying the spotlight in the UK currently as it won the lion's share of 3.7 GW renewable capacity the government picked for the CfD allocation round 5 (see Solar Wins Big In UK's Allocation Round 5). The country targets to achieve a cumulative 70 GW solar capacity by 2035.