Investment management firm Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners has begun construction of a solar-plus-battery energy storage project in Cleve Hill, UK. The 373MW solar plus 150MW battery storage project in Kent, due to be completed by the end of 2024, will be the largest such project in the UK.

Development began following approval from the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in May 2020. During its construction and operational phases, Cleve Hill will support more than 2,300 direct and indirect jobs and will generate £148 million in local socio-economic benefits.

In July 2022, Quinbrook was awarded a 15-year CFD to support the financing of the project. The firm reported that it was the largest contract awarded to a solar project in the UK as part of the government's flagship auction scheme, which is expected to lower electricity prices and boost the country's energy security. The company will now select its preferred lender and complete debt financing for the project.

Rory Quinlan, co-founder and managing partner of Quinbrook, said high energy prices, geopolitical instability and the UK's ambitious net-zero emissions target are highlighting the urgent need to accelerate the UK's next-generation energy transition infrastructure.

Large-scale solar and battery storage projects are, in our view, key to the imperative to decarbonise the global energy transition, and we are doing our best to develop a blueprint for more projects in the UK. Equally important, we are committed to supporting jobs in a way that is truly impactful and delivers a range of tangible benefits to local communities.Editor/XingWentao