<!DOCTYPE html>
Cleve Hill Solar Park is the largest operational solar photovoltaic power station in the United Kingdom with an installed capacity of 373 megawatt peak DC. The project is located on the north Kent coast near Faversham and exports electricity directly to the UK transmission network.
The project was the first solar and battery development approved under the UK Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) planning framework.
The solar park is co located with a 150 megawatt battery energy storage system.
Cleve Hill Solar Park is widely reported as a £450 million solar and battery storage infrastructure project developed by Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners.
The project financing package includes:
Total project debt:
£238.5 million
Debt financing was provided by:
The remaining capital requirement is funded through equity investment from Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners.
Public sources disclose the total project financing but do not publish the detailed allocation of capital between the photovoltaic plant and the battery energy storage system.
The Cleve Hill project includes a 150 MW / 300 MWh battery energy storage system co located with the solar installation.
Industry cost benchmarks for grid scale battery storage in Great Britain during 2024 suggest total project costs of approximately £580,000 per MW of installed battery capacity.
Applying this benchmark to the Cleve Hill battery installation provides a reasonable analytical estimate of the BESS capital cost.
| Component | Estimated Capital Cost | Approximate Share |
|---|---|---|
| Battery Energy Storage System (150 MW) | ~ £87 million | ~ 19% |
| Solar PV Plant and Shared Infrastructure | ~ £363 million | ~ 81% |
| Total Project Value | ~ £450 million | 100% |
These figures are derived from publicly available cost benchmarks and the reported project capacity. Actual capital allocation for the Cleve Hill project has not been publicly disclosed by the lenders or developer.
This estimate is provided for analytical context only and should not be interpreted as an official disclosure of project financing allocation.
Project financing was arranged in two tranches.
Solar PV financing
Battery energy storage financing
Both were arranged under the same project finance structure.
The project revenue stack includes several long term agreements:
Cleve Hill Solar Park consists of a large scale photovoltaic installation with integrated battery storage and supporting electrical infrastructure.
Public project information indicates:
Electricity is exported to the UK transmission network through the 400 kilovolt Cleve Hill National Grid substation, originally constructed to serve the London Array offshore wind farm.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Solar PV capacity | 373 megawatt peak DC |
| Battery storage | 150 megawatt |
| PV modules | More than 550000 |
| Site area | About 900 acres |
| Grid connection | 400 kilovolt transmission substation |
Information presented on this page has been compiled from publicly available sources including project announcements, planning documentation and industry reporting.
Certain engineering observations such as inverter counts, string quantities or internal electrical architecture may be estimated from planning documents or satellite imagery such as Google Earth.
No representation or warranty is made regarding the completeness or absolute accuracy of all inferred engineering values. This document is intended solely as an independent technical reference and educational analysis.
This page provides an independent technical reference for the scale and financing structure of Cleve Hill Solar Park using publicly available information and industry reporting.