Natural Power, a leading renewable energy consultancy and service provider, assumes the crucial roles of owner’s engineer and principal designer for the Ockendon Solar PV Park situated in Essex, UK. This vital support extends throughout the pre-construction and construction phases, benefiting developer NTR plc.
Anticipated to be one of the UK’s largest solar parks, Ockendon Solar will comprise more than 108,000 ground-mounted PV panels, potentially powering 17,000 local homes.
Leveraging state-of-the-art solar technology, a combination of 540 Watt and 545 Watt bi-facial solar panels has been strategically installed, maximising sunlight absorption on both sides and elevating energy output density per square metre through heightened efficiency. Once activated, the project is set to deliver a substantial 40 MW of electricity to the grid, propelling the UK closer to its renewable energy objectives.
This initiative unfolds on a 98.44-hectare Veolia-owned plot, previously a landfill site for the past 25 years, and is a pioneering European venture in landfill repurposing. Conveniently located just a 25-minute drive from London City, the project holds significant promise for sustainable energy advancements.
Ralph Spernagel, Construction Director at Natural Power, said: “This has been a really exciting project for us, not just due to the location of the site in close proximity to London, where there is understandably a significant demand for energy, but also the forward-thinking nature of the development that is repurposing land, that would otherwise go unused, to supply clean power using new and innovative engineering solutions that ensure minimum disruption to the landfill and maximum energy output.
“This continues our long relationship with NTR where we have used our full project lifecycle knowledge to provide value adding health and safety expertise, technical advisory and project management services to assist in its acquisition and construction of renewable projects.”
Natural Power also acted as lenders technical adviser to NTR and Rabobank, providing full technical due diligence, for the financing stage during 2022.
Natural Power supports clients throughout the full project lifecycle and as a development approaches its construction phase, the team can help administer contracts and act as the project interface, supervising construction and managing specifications. To find out more about construction services at Natural Power, visit www.naturalpower.com/uk/expertise/service/engineering-operations/construction
