Tesco and Shell are to buy the entire output of a controversial solar farm under construction on the Kent coast that was approved against massive local opposition on the basis that it would power 100,000 homes. The Telegraph has more.
The two companies have signed deals to purchase all the electricity generated by Cleve Hill, which is poised to be the U.K.’s largest solar farm when it goes into operation early in 2025.
The project won planning permission despite massive local opposition on the basis that it would power more than 100,000 homes. However, 65% of the output has instead been purchased by Tesco, which says Cleve Hill will help it cut emissions by powering up to 144 of its supermarkets.
The remaining 35% of output will be managed by Shell as it buys up sources of renewable electricity to power its growing network of EV charging stations.
Vicky Ellis, of the Kent branch of CPRE, said: “This project was approved on the premise that it would power homes, not petrol stations and supermarkets.
“The irony of a major supermarket such as Tesco and a prominent oil producer such as Shell buying into the green energy market to run their petrol stations and supermarkets is not lost on us. We suspect this is another example of greenwashing.”
Cleve Hill is owned and financed by Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners, a U.S. investment fund based in Houston, Texas, which specialises in energy projects.
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