Ørsted enters UK solar market with One Earth project

Ørsted in collaboration with PS Renewables will develop the One Earth Solar Farm, a solar and battery storage project in the UK.

It's Ørsted's first solar project in the UK. The Danish energy firm will take a phased ownership approach, with commercial operation aimed for before 2030.

The solar farm will use ground-mounted solar panels. It will be located in Nottinghamshire near the border of Lincolnshire, UK, using a 740MW connection to the existing National Grid substation located at High Marnham.

Once operational, One Earth will generate enough power for up to 200,000 homes.

Stakeholder consultation will begin later this month as part of the process for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) in the UK.

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One Earth is considered an NSIP due to the amount of energy it will generate, which means planning permissions will need to be granted by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Matt Hazell, co-owner of clean energy developer PS Renewables, said: “The One Earth Solar Farm stands to make an important contribution to the national decarbonisation effort. Our expertise in solar energy and Ørsted’s renewables track record make this a compelling project.”

According to Ørsted, the electricity produced by the solar farm has several potential routes to market including contracts for difference and corporate power purchase agreements.

The One Earth project will contribute to Ørsted’s ambition of reaching 17.5GW of onshore capacity by 2030 and will also help the UK government meet its goal of 70GW solar capacity by 2035.

Duncan Clark, Senior Vice President and Head of UK and Ireland at Ørsted, said: “We welcome the UK government’s ambition to install 70GW of solar capacity by 2035 and look forward to working with the government’s new Solar Taskforce and stakeholders from across the industry to maximise the benefits that solar energy offers to the nation.”

Ørsted already operates 42MW of onshore wind in the UK and Ireland, producing enough green electricity to power more than 275,000 homes.