A new solar + battery installation in Kent, UK, is breaking records and will help the country’s carbon reduction goals.
Specialist investment company Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners has announced it has closed its debt financing package for the construction of its 373 MW Cleve Hill solar and 150 MW BESS project in Kent, UK. This is the largest solar and battery storage project undertaken in the UK and the first to be officially recognised as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). Operations are expected to commence later in 2025.
The record-breaking term loan consists of £218.5 million and a £20 million VAT facility, provided by Lloyds and NatWest. The loan is structured in two stages – the first term loan specifically covers the solar PV component, the solar panels and infrastructure required to generate electricity, and was finalised in August 2024. The second loan, finalised in March 2025, finances the BESS facility.
The Cleve Hill development was first granted in May 2020. It is expected to have a significant environmental impact, with forecasts predicting a reduction in carbon emissions by over 142,000 tonnes during its first year. The project has also been designed to increase biodiversity by over 67%, aiming to improve local ecosystems and enhance wildlife habitats.
Keith Gains, Managing Director and UK Regional Leader for Quinbrook, commented on the importance of Cleve Hill as a possible catalyst for similar future projects. “Cleve Hill is a model for the development and financing of future large-scale projects in the UK that can meaningfully support the country’s decarbonisation goals […] spurring long-term job opportunities for local communities”.
Cleve Hill Solar Park has also secured important revenue contracts, with one of the most significant being as winner of the largest award for a UK solar project in Round 4 of the UK government’s 15-year Contract for Difference (CfD) auction scheme. This ensures that Cleve Hill will receive a stable, guaranteed price for the electricity it generates, protected against any market fluctuations.
The project has also signed a major offtake agreement with Tesco, letting the retailer purchase up to 65% of the solar power the farm generates. This guarantees a steady stream of demand for the electricity produced, strengthening the project’s financial future.
A 15-year Capacity Market Agreement for the project’s BESS will benefit the farm, ensuring the battery system will be compensated for, as its key role in maintaining grid stability will be to supply electricity in periods of high demand. With the addition of the Capacity Market Agreement, the total value of revenue secured for the Cleve Hill Solar Park project has exceeded £480 million.
More than 2,500 jobs are expected to be generated by the project in the next few years, while contributions of over £114 million in local socio-economic benefits are projected.
Lyudmil Banev, Director, Project Finance at NatWest, highlighted the strategic importance of the Cleve Hill project for the UK’s renewable energy journey and transition. “We see co-location as a highly strategic sector with leading potential to become a centrepiece of the UK’s medium-term decarbonisation story.”
Rory Quinlan, Quinbrook’s Co-Founder and Managing Partner, commented on how projects like Cleve Hill can strengthen and improve energy infrastructure. “When this project was envisioned over five years ago, we knew solar + battery storage projects of this scale would play a important role in accelerating the UK’s transition.”
(Image source: “Solar Farm” by mcmees24 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.)
