The City of London Corporation has confirmed that landmarks including Tower Bridge, Hampstead Heath, and the Barbican Centre will be powered by a new solar farm in Dorset.
In 2020, the City Corporation agreed a £40 million deal with international energy provider Voltalia to buy all the electricity produced by the new solar farm for 15 years. The facility has just been completed and will provide over half of the City Corporation’s electricity from 1st January 2023.
The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is the first of its kind in the UK to be signed directly between a renewables producer and a governing authority.
With over 91,000 panels, the site will have a capacity of 49.9 megawatts – equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of approximately 35,000 people.
Chairman of the City Corporation’s Environment Committee, Keith Bottomley, said:
This scheme is a pioneering blueprint by the City Corporation for local authorities across the UK, cutting carbon emissions and giving cheaper, more secure energy, protected from the price volatility of energy markets.
The deal will increase our green energy supply, has no reliance on taxpayer funding, and helps us transition quickly away from fossil fuels.
CEO of Voltalia, Sébastien Clerc, said:
The completion of South Farm is a great achievement. I would like to warmly thank all the Voltalia teams and our local British suppliers and subcontractors, who have been working together on this project.
In the current energy crisis, we are very proud to supply clean and cheap electricity to some of London’s most iconic landmarks. With this 15 year contract we are actively supporting the City Corporation in mitigating its energy budget volatility and reaching its net zero target.
The deal is part of the City Corporation’s Climate Action Strategy, which commits it to reaching net zero in its own operations by 2027, and in its investments and supply chain by 2040. It is also supporting the achievement of net zero for the whole Square Mile by the same year. The organisation is investing £68m to achieve these goals.
