Anesco acquires a 35 MW Beachampton solar project
Anesco, developer and owner of renewable energy sources, has acquired Beachampton Solar Project Ltd. acquired the company developing a 35 MW solar project at Manor Farm near Beachampton in Buckinghamshire.
The site was previously owned by developer One Planet, who developed the site in partnership with infrastructure and countryside management company Kingwell. The site will be built on a 106 hectare site.
Buckinghamshire council documents show numerous objections to the development of the site when it was first proposed, including from Conservative MP Greg Smith, citing the impact on the BMV (Best and Most Valuable) agricultural land where a small part of the site will be built, and its impact on traffic flow and views.
However, assessments by Natural England – the government’s non-departmental environmental agency – found there were no objections as the installation of solar panels on steel scaffolding would cause “limited ground disturbance, and components such as the substation, which could permanently affect agricultural land, would be limited to [a] small area.”
Anesco has a significant portfolio of solar projects in Great Britain. The company started construction in 2023 four solar and energy storage projects with a combined 110 MW of rated capacity for asset management company Gresham House. More recently, approval was granted for one 48MW solar project in Staffordshire which is said to have been developed with a 200% net gain in biodiversity, well above the legal requirement for environmental improvement.
British Solar Renewables receives approval for a 22 MW PV project
Elsewhere, developer British Solar Renewables (BSR) has been granted planning permission by Dacorum Borough Council for the 22MW/10MW Pudds Cross solar-plus-storage project in Hertfordshire.
Announcing the planning approval in a post on LinkedIn, BSR said Pudds Cross will deliver a net biodiversity gain of 110% to the project area. “We improve habitats, support wildlife and provide lasting environmental benefits,” the company said.
Last year, BSR raised £345 million in a debt facility to support the development of 12 standalone solar and solar-plus-storage projects with a cumulative capacity of 609MW.
Last year it also submitted planning applications for two projects: the 150MW Harp Farm solar project near Maidstone in Kent and the 30MW Bramble Hall Farm project in Essex – and acquired the 150MW/60MW Little Crow solar plus storage project in Lincolnshire. The company aims to develop 7GW of new solar PV capacity in the UK by 2027.
In its newly planned projects, BSR has placed significant emphasis on its biodiversity and ecological efforts. It said it expects a net biodiversity gain of 147.1% at the Bramble Hall Farm project and at least 60% at Harp Farm.
