From Sunlight to Campus: Enviromena’s Solar Farm Energises University of Manchester

Independent power producer Enviromena has continued its run of successes, announcing the acquisition of a third UK solar PV project along with the energisation of a significant new development. The company has acquired the Longpasture Solar Farm, a 49.9 megawatt fully consented solar power plant located in County Durham. The project was purchased from Bluefield Solar and Lightrock Power.

Construction is expected to be completed in late 2027. The project was awarded a 15-year Contract for Difference in September 2024 under Allocation Round Six.

The planning agreement, secured in August 2023, allows the solar farm to span 163 acres of land in County Durham. It also includes an option to install a 39.7 megawatt co-located battery energy storage system. As part of the development, Enviromena will establish a community benefit fund worth £ 100,000, along with on-site biodiversity improvements.

This marks the third acquisition the company has closed this summer. In recent weeks, Enviromena also acquired two ready-to-build projects in Shropshire. In July, the company purchased the Steeraway Solar Farm, a 30-megawatt development, from the Luxembourg-based firm RE Infrastructure Opportunities Holding. Earlier this month, Enviromena took ownership of the Rock Farm project, a 40 megawatt solar facility, from Anglo Renewables. Both projects were granted 15-year Contracts for Difference during last year’s Allocation Round Six auction, and both aim to achieve grid connection in 2026.

Enviromena has also celebrated another milestone with the official energisation of its Medebridge Solar Farm in Essex. This site has a peak capacity of 71 megawatts. It is the subject of what the company describes as the largest solar Corporate Power Purchase Agreement ever signed with a UK educational institution.

Starting from September 1, the Medebridge project will supply clean electricity to the University of Manchester under a ten-year agreement. It is expected to meet around 65 percent of the university’s total electricity demand. Over the course of the contract, the university will purchase 80 percent of the power generated by the site. The deal was structured and managed by EDF.

Gary Hales, COO at Enviromena, called Medebridge’s energisation “a huge achievement by everyone at Enviromena”, adding that it “showcases how we can deploy clean energy infrastructure both safely and efficiently, while setting new benchmarks for operational excellence in the renewables sector.”