Statkraft solar project successful in AR7 renewables auction

Statkraft, Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy, has been awarded a contract for Kitland Solar Farm, in Allocation Round 7 of the UK Government’s Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction.

CfDs are 20-year contracts, which guarantee a fixed price for the power generated by a renewable asset, like a wind farm or solar farm. That fixed price allows developers of projects to plan with greater certainty.

Kitland Solar Farm is a 39.9MW scheme, alongside a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), located in North Somerset. Granted planning permission in December 2024, Kitland will generate enough renewable electricity to power the equivalent of 13,000 homes once operational. Alongside this, the scheme will make significant improvements to the biodiversity nearby, including four new ponds, six hectares of new woodland, and a new community orchard.

This latest renewables auction has seen 157 solar schemes succesfully securing contracts. The UK Government say it is the largest ever procurement of solar projects in the UK, with 4.9GW secured under AR7.

Charlotte Healey, Statkraft’s Head of Solar, said: “We’re pleased that Kitland Solar Farm has been successfully awarded a contract by the UK Government in its latest Contracts for Difference auction. Projects like these help make the UK more resilient to global energy price shocks in our volatile world.

“Solar is the quickest and one of the cheapest routes to generating clean power, improving energy security and lowering homeowner bills, and securing this contract is an important part of taking the project forward.”