EDF Secures Offtake Agreement for 85MW Solar-Battery Hybrid in South Ayrshire

EDF has announced two major solar power purchase agreements with Network Rail and Aukera, reinforcing its commitment to renewable energy expansion in the UK. Aukera, a renewable investment and development firm, has entered into a long-term route-to-market power purchase agreement with EDF. Under this agreement, EDF will purchase the full output from Aukera’s Benthead Solar Farm.

Located in North Ayrshire, Scotland, Benthead will combine a 31 megawatt battery energy storage system with approximately 53.5 megawatts of solar generation capacity. Though construction has not yet begun, the project is fully owned by Aukera and is scheduled to be commissioned in 2026.

The term of the agreement ranges between nine and eleven years, depending on when the battery system becomes operational. This marks EDF’s first partnership with Aukera. In parallel, EDF has signed a separate optimisation agreement to manage the battery system using its AI-driven Powershift platform.

Earlier this year, Aukera secured funding for Benthead and four additional solar projects through a £135 million senior debt facility from Deutsche Bank and Rabobank. These projects, including Benthead, successfully secured 15-year Contracts for Difference as part of Allocation Round 6.

Christopher Dalley, director of wholesale market services at EDF, said that the deal reflects EDF and Aukera’s “shared vision of a cleaner, more flexible energy system”. He added: “The integration of long-term PPA stability with cutting-edge battery optimisation demonstrates how EDF supports the UK’s net zero ambitions”.

In a separate agreement, EDF Renewables has signed a corporate power purchase agreement with Network Rail, representing the railway’s first-ever deal of this kind. Under the agreement, Network Rail will purchase 64 gigawatt hours of solar electricity annually at a fixed cost for the next 14 years. This clean energy will be sourced from the 49.9 megawatt Bloy’s Grove solar plant in Norfolk, which is set to begin construction shortly following its planning approval in August 2022.

The energy secured through this agreement will cover roughly 15 percent of Network Rail’s electricity needs for its offices, depots, and managed stations, collectively referred to as non-traction energy. To put it in perspective, one year of solar energy from this deal would be enough to power London Liverpool Street station for nine years.

Network Rail has indicated that this is just the beginning. It intends to enter into additional agreements in the coming years to meet all of its non-traction energy needs with solar power.

Jeremy Westlake, Network Rail’s chief financial officer, said that this first of its kind contract demonstrates how organisations like Network Rail “can use their buying power to drive investment in clean power generation for the country”. Jo Lewington, chief environment and sustainability officer at Network Rail, agreed, calling the contract “a huge step forward” in the firm’s mission to power all of its stations and offices with sustainable energy.

James Schwerdt, head of solar at EDF Renewables UK, expressed his enthusiasm for supporting Network Rail’s sustainability ambitions and noted that the project highlights the critical role solar energy will play in helping the UK achieve its net zero targets.