Pinsent Masons advises UK's largest solar park as it gets the green light from Secretary of State

Cleve Hill will be the largest solar park in the UK. Once operational, it will be able to generate 350MW of clean energy to power over 91,000 homes. The project won't require any government subsidies and aims to be one of the lowest cost generators of electricity in the UK.

Lead partner Gareth Phillips and associate Peter Cole have been advising the joint venture between Hive Energy and Wirsol Energy for Cleve Hill since 2015. This included also obtaining Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) status; the consenting process for the country's largest infrastructure projects under the Planning Act 2008. Cleve Hill is the first solar park to achieve NSIP status in the UK.

Peter Cole commented, "This announcement is an extremely significant step forward for the UK renewables industry, and helping the UK meet its net zero target by 2050. The knowledge and experience garnered from this consent has transformed the way these types of renewable projects are structured across the UK; guiding them through various regulatory issues to ensure they are feasible, investor ready, and bankable."

Gareth Phillips commented, "I'm delighted for Hive and Wirsol. They have had the ambition and imagination to drive forward this pioneering and innovative renewables project. It has been a privilege to be part of the teams responsible for achieving these consents".