Background
The Wroughton Airfield Solar Park was developed through a joint venture between Public Power Solutions (PPS) – a provider of sustainable waste and power solutions – and the Science Museum Group.
Located in a disused airfield, the solar farm project was conceived to benefit the local community and beyond, with the capacity to generate almost 60GWh of electricity annually.
Our involvement
PPS sought to sell the solar scheme to the UK arm of global solar energy company, BELECTRIC.
The team’s advisory services to PPS included organising contract transfers, gaining landowner consent and property warranties, negotiating cable agreements and dealing with matters relating to community benefit trusts.
The outcome
The deal was completed for an undisclosed sum, to the satisfaction of all parties.
Under the terms of the transaction, the developer is to make an annual contribution to a local community fund.
Meanwhile, income from the project was used by the Science Museum to help continue its work conserving 30,000 objects of significant cultural heritage, which it stores on the surrounding site. The Wroughton Airfield Solar Park project received terrific support from the local community, and the deal represented a positive outcome for PPS, the Science Museum Group, BELECTRIC UK, and the residents and businesses in Wiltshire.
Further collaboration
Later in the project’s lifeline, BELECTRIC UK sold its stake to the developers British Solar Renewables (BSR) and WELink Energy. Thrings continued to provide legal advice to PPS, as it supported BSR in bringing the project to life. Significantly, Thrings arranged the certificate of title for energy provider SSE – enabling the electricity generated by the project to reach the electrical grid.
Thrings was proud to see this project come to fruition as it will make an important contribution to both local and national targets to generate renewable energy.
For further commentary on this case, or to discuss any renewables-related issue, please contact a member of Thrings' Renewables team.