Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co's Energy team, led by partner Gareth Baker, has advised longstanding client Primrose Solar on the acquisition of three 5MW solar farms, one at Bedborough Farm, Wimborne, one in Merston, Chichester, and the third near Ashby-de-la-Zouch.
The Bedborough acquisition was finalised in June 2015, with Primrose acquiring the site from Wiltshire-based developer Solstice Renewables.
The Merston acquisition was finalised in October 2015, with Primrose again acquiring the site from Solstice Renewables. Construction has already begun, with commissioning expected before the end of the year.
The Ashby farm site was acquired at the start of December 2015, also from Solstice Renewables, and Primrose has a contractor already on site to begin construction. The project is forecast to generate enough electricity to supply the equivalent of 1,500 typical homes and to save around 2,150 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.
Each transaction required working to tight deadlines in order to enable construction to proceed to timetable and to ensure accreditation requirements were met.
In respect of each site, Primrose will continue to work hard to promote the biodiversity of its solar farms – the Ashby site is expected to stay in agricultural usage, providing grazing for sheep in the winter and supporting wildflower meadows in the summer. A community benefit fund will (in respect of each project) also be set up for the 25-year lifetime of each project.
Primrose's 5MW Merston project is part of a larger 10MW facility that received planning consent in March 2015 from Chichester District Council. It will be the second project to come online under the UK government's shared ownership framework for renewable energy projects, following the Braydon Manor wind farm in Swindon.
A team of specialists from across the WLG Energy team worked on the deals, including partner Helen Emmerson, and associates Mark Knight, Ross Mackay and David Barry.
Partner Gareth Baker said: "Primrose is a longstanding client of the firm and these acquisitions bring the total number of solar farms in their portfolio up to 13 and we have advised on every acquisition. Primrose is working hard to bring sustainable energy to the UK, notwithstanding the turbulent regulatory environment. With the completion of these most recent acquisitions, the WLG Energy team is further cementing its position as one of the market leaders when it comes to advising on solar energy related transactions."
Primrose Solar now has 198MWp of installed capacity either operational or under construction.
Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co's sector-focused Energy team offers clients pro-active, commercially-focused and innovative solutions - wherever they are in the world. Their extensive UK and international client base includes governments and regulators, developers, financial institutions, generators, network operators and energy suppliers and traders.
