Geldards Advise Warrington Council On Solar-Storage Project
National law firm Geldards, have successfully advised Warrington Borough Council (‘WBC’) on the acquisition of a solar farm in York, the UK’s largest and most technically advanced solar and battery storage project.
The innovative, first of its kind project, which runs power day and night, generates enough energy to supply a town. It shows how local authorities can partner with developers to deliver projects which cut carbon, supply clean electricity, and generate millions of pounds to fund essential services.
WBC plan to utilise the electricity generated to York for sale directly to the grid and the hope and intention is that a second solar farm will come in line, in Hull, later this year.
The plan is that the planned solar farm in Hull will generate electricity to power all of the council buildings and facilities from one of the farms, becoming the first Local Authority in the country to have their electricity needs met entirely by solar power as well as providing them with an annual cost savings.
The project comes at a time when many local authorities are creating emergency climate change declarations because of the increasing climate change crisis. WBC’s solar farm is a blueprint for other local authorities and is a leading example of addressing issues and concerns arising from the growing climate change crisis.
The Geldards team advised the council on all aspects of the transaction including corporate, commercial, regulatory, property, construction, procurement, State aid, and local government law matters. The team was led by Head of Public Law England and Partner, Tiffany Cloynes, who was assisted by Commercial Team, Partner Michelle Craven-Faulkner, Senior Associates Martyn Davies, Clare Hardy and Rebecca Gilbert along with Partners Andrew Evans (tax) and Rob James (commercial property).
Commenting on the project, Tiffany, said:
“This project is a very exciting one to be involved in as it sets the benchmark for other local authorities to make effective use of solar power. The acquisition of this initial solar farm was a great transaction for our team to be involved in and we would like to thank Warrington BC for using Geldards”
Michelle, also commented:
“The acquisition of the solar farm by Warrington Borough Council is a pivotal step in the right direction for local authorities and we were thrilled to be able to assist with this hugely innovative project, demonstrating the team’s knowledge and experience in the field of renewable energy. We look forward to the next one!”
If you would like to speak to the team about a Public Sector matter, please get in touch with the Team.