UK govt completes 69.5-MW solar farm - report

The UK government has completed a 69.5-MW solar farm, the country's largest, Solar Power Portal reported.

The power plant is located at a Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) site in Lyneham, Wiltshire and was completed in March 2015. The website said that new findings by Solar Media, its owner, showed the installed capacity of the solar farm was significantly above the 40 MW mentioned in the initial planning applications in July 2014. There is a potential for a further increase as a DIO spokesperson was cited as saying that Lyneham would have the capacity for 86 MW if the site is expanded.

According to the planning documents, Solar Power Portal said, British Solar Renewables won the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the project. It will pay rent for the site to the Ministry of Defence, while the power output will be supplied to the National Grid. The scheme was developed by AMEC Environment & Infrastructure.

The DIO spokesperson has indicated there could be more solar farms at training facilities across the UK and said that the Cabinet Office and government departments were working to identify opportunities for renewable energy development.

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