Metlen Energy and Metals (formerly Mytilineos) has signed six EPC contracts for a combined 313.4 MW of solar energy and Bess.
The contracts for engineering, purchasing and construction (EPC) cover five solar energy plants and one battery energy storage system (BESS), the construction of which will start this year; All six developments are expected to be completed at the end of 2026.
Metlen is building the Hulam Solar Park and Sheraton Solar Park, 71 MWP and 53MWP, for Lightsource BP, both in Durham. It will also construct Ampyr Solar Europe’s 55MW Scruton Solar Park in Northallerton.
The last three EPC contracts were signed with Aumera Energy and cover are 18.9 MW Henley Solar Park in Shropshire, and the 84.5 MW Benthead Solar Park in Scotland, together with a co-location 73.3 MWh Bess.
In March of this year, Aumera has secured a senior debt facility of Deutsche Bank and Rabobank, with five developments, including the Benthead Solar and BESS project, which is being developed together by Locoge, and a contract for difference (CFD) in the Sixth Allocation Round (AR6) in the Herfst 2024.
Metlen has already supplied the Northwold Solar Park (10 MW) for Ampyr, which also saw the company a co-located Bess with storage capacity of 9.8 MWh. Ampyr has a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the site, which will supply the energy generated on plywood from the construction company.
Metlen also provided EPC for the independent 73.31MWH Kolenpit Bess from Pulse Clean Energy.
Metlen operated until June last year in the VK as Mytilineos Energy and Metals, when chairman and CEO Evangelos Mytilineos said that the name change showed that the company was “motivated and dedicated to reaching new heights that a Greek company never conquered”.
The company has completed a portfolio of 85 renewable energy projects and under development in the UK, consisting of a collective 1.54 GW solar sun and 1.18GWH energy storage.
In June 2024 Metlen gave three PV assets of the sun passed on to Schroders Capital’s Renewables Infrastructure Management Arm Schroders Greencat. The 110 MW portfolio benefits from a PPA signed by Metlen (then Mytilineos) and Centrica and Vodaphone UK in 2022. The three signed a second ppa with 232 MW.
Metlen has concluded an engineering, purchasing and building contract (EPC) contract for the 373MW Cleve Hill Solar Project in 2023 and supervision of the delivery of the Kent-based project led by Quinbrook.
NSIP or not
Although Metlen registered the two sun factories developed by Lightsource BP as peak capacities of more than 50 MW, which would give them the NSIP status, the Lightsource portfolio pages give for both the Hulam and Sheraton PV plants 49.9 MW as type capacity.
As reported by Solar -Energy Portal In 2023 the planning for the sites was brought to the UK Supreme Court after requests from Durham and Hartlepool’s authorities were accepted as valid but refused.
The two planning authorities made a judicial assessment challenge against appeal to the refusal, whereby the case the correct planning legislation for Utility scale projects, the definition of a “generating station” and other criteria, and the jurisdictional roles of both the State Secretary and the courts of the courts in the courts in the courts in the courts deliberation of clarity about such awards. The court established that the projects had no NSIP.
