Associated British Ports gets green light for floating solar project

Associated British Ports (ABP) has received approval for its plans to build the UK’s largest floating solar project at the Port of Barrow.

The Barrow EnergyDock project will see the installation of a floating solar array of up to 40MWp on Cavendish Dock.

The solar panels will be mounted on floating pontoons secured to the dock bed by an anchoring system. The proposed array would cover around one-third of the dock’s water area and comprise approximately 47,000 panels.

Rather than generating electricity for domestic use, this energy will be used by the manufacturing sector, helping to reduce emissions and boost energy resilience for local industry.

The project also aims to help control electricity costs at the port and will preserve valuable port land for operational and manufacturing uses.

Cavendish Dock covers 591,000 square metres and is now entirely enclosed, serving as a reservoir. Originally used in the Second World War to build airships, it is now a popular fishing destination.

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According to ABP, these leisure activities will be able to continue despite the solar project, with potential for further leisure use in the future.

Kirsten Abbott, Senior Project Manager (Energy Generation and Storage) at ABP, commented in a statement: “We are delighted to receive approval for this landmark project, which represents a significant step towards cleaner, more resilient energy for the region.

Bryan Davies, Divisional Port Manager (Northwest and Scotland), added: "The development marks a major milestone in realising ABP's exciting plans for the Port of Barrow, which are designed to drive economic growth and support the region’s advanced engineering sector.”

ABP handles more than a quarter of all UK port industry volumes and provides support for over half of the UK’s offshore wind.

The Group has set a target of net zero operational emissions by 2040 and has implemented a strategy to increase energy efficiency, as well as reduce fuel and power consumption.

The sustainability strategy has seen ABP become one of the largest corporate producers of solar energy, with solar farms in locations such as Barry and Silloth, as well as arrays at the Southampton, Hull and Humber ports.

This is not the UK’s first sizable floating solar project. In March 2016, Lightsourcebp Renewable Energy completed and connected a 6.3MW array on the Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir, near London.

The installation is connected directly into Thames Water’s private network. The solar farm supplies renewable solar electricity to the utility company via a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), satisfying around 20% of the plant’s energy needs.