The project follows the successful completion of two previous solar farms in 2020; a 12MWp facility in Emmen and a 14MWp installation near to the town of Heerenveen in Friesland. The two companies also worked together in 2019, on a battery storage project at the Shell Bacton gas terminal site in the UK.
Work on the solar farm in Sas Van Gent (Netherlands), which is being built on a former industrial site for sugar factory waste disposal, close to the border with Belgium, is expected to commence site work towards the end of March 2021. The design stage is already well underway. Once complete the site will cover an area of 24.7 hectares and consist of over 55,000 modules.
Once energised, the solar farm will be looked after by Anesco’s specialist operations and maintenance team, who will ensure it continues to operate at its optimal efficiency. Anesco will also play an integral role in the continued program of Shell New Energy and partner organisations, to combine expertise to optimise operational practises for the benefit of biodiversity and solar.
As with the construction of the previous two solar farms, Anesco’s team will be working closely alongside local suppliers and Shell, to deliver the project.
Daniel Cohen, Anesco EPC Director, commented: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Shell New Energies once again and to be building on our growing relationship, to generate even more renewable energy for the Dutch power grid.
“Since completing our first projects outside of the UK last year – overcoming the many challenges presented by the pandemic to do so – our international pipeline has grown steadily, and we look forward to a busy 2021.”
Established in Reading in 2010, Anesco has developed in excess of 100 solar farms and is a UK market leader in energy storage, while its renewables operation and maintenance arm now has more than 1GW of renewable energy under management.
