Anesco builds two solar parks in Netherlands

Shell New Energies has awarded UK renewables developer Anesco two contracts to design and construct two solar farms in the Netherlands with a combined generation capacity of 26 MW.

The deal marks Anesco’s first project to be built outside of the UK and is in line with the company’s expressed growth plans as it sets its sights on international expansion.

Anesco is constructing one of the solar farms, a 12 MW facility, on the site of a former gas works in Emmen, located in the province of Drenthe in northeast Holland. The second facility will be a 14 MW installation near the town of Heerenveen in Friesland.

The two sites span some 52 hectares, with construction expected to take six months once underway. As part of the project, Anesco said it was working “with Shell New Energy and their stakeholders on a biodiversity enhancement program backed by an onsite scientific research project demonstrating the beneficial co-existence of solar parks and nature friendly landscaping and site management.”   

On completion of the project, Anesco’s operations and maintenance team will support Shell New Energy Asset Management for an initial two-year period to ensure the solar farms operate at optimal efficiency.

The solar farms represent the second and third contracts awarded to Anesco by Shell’s New Energies business, which oversees the oil and gas giant’s investment and delivery of lower-carbon energy solutions, including wind, solar and electric mobility. In 2019, Anesco partnered with Shell New Energies on a battery storage project at the Bacton gas terminal site in the UK.

“This project marks a landmark achievement for Anesco as we make our international debut and put our extensive experience and strong track record to use to capitalise on opportunities outside of the UK,” said Anesco EPC director Daniel Cohen, adding that the project demonstrated the company’s capabilities in renewable energy asset design, construction and optimization.

“While the impact of COVID-19 continues to be felt across the world and we have needed to adapt how we are working, for Anesco it is business as usual and our mission remains to support the journey to net zero.”  

Established in Reading in 2010, Anesco has developed more than 100 solar farms and 147 MW of battery storage while its O&M service is monitoring more than 22,000 sites with a combined capacity of over 1 GW of renewable energy under management.