Quinbrook acquires planned 350 MW project in the UK

A 350 MW PV plus storage project set for construction in the UK has been acquired by U.S. investment company Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners. Once completed, the project will be the largest solar installation in the UK, and among the largest in Europe.

The project, earlier called Cleve Hill Solar Farm and now named ‘Project Fortress’ by its new owner, has been in planning stages since 2017, and received consent from the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, as a nationally significant infrastructure project, in May 2020. Quinbrook expects to begin construction in the first half of 2021.

“We believe Project Fortress is a landmark transaction on many fronts and represents a new frontier in UK solar teamed with large scale battery storage,” said Quinbrook co-founder Rory Quinlan. “We have been immersed in large scale solar and storage in the US for many years and we can apply our significant experience in project design and equipment selection to ensure Fortress becomes the new benchmark for renewables that support the UK grid rather than challenge it.”

Quinbrook has plenty of experience in large-scale solar, currently developing the 690 MW PV / 380 MW battery storage Gemini project, and another 600 MW project in Nevada, United States. As well as integrating battery storage to ensure minimal disruption to the grid, the project promises features to certify its output for offtakers keen to keep track of their carbon footprint. “Fortress provides a timely opportunity to showcase the application of advanced technologies that are critical to verify the carbon reductions available to our customers from Fortress,” added Quinlan. “We think this is destined to become the standard for all energy supply projects in the years ahead.”