ABP to become one of the UK’s largest corporate solar power producers

Once complete, the investment could ultimately see ABP’s 21 ports home to 100,000 solar panels generating up to 22,400,000kWh of clean electricity each year – enough to boil more than 1.12 billion kettles.

“We are confident that this is just the beginning for ABP. We still have significant potential to further develop our ports to generate yet more clean energy, further reducing the carbon footprint both of our business and of our customers’ operations,” said Chris Garton, ABP Director, Asset Management.

Solar potential

The solar arrays will principally be added to the roofs of ABP’s 1.4 million sq m of covered storage space across the ports. The energy generated will power port operations for ABP and its customers, with excess power fed into the National Grid.

Gary Sucharewycz, director at Custom Solar, which has a three-year solar installation framework agreement with ABP, said: “The scale of this investment in solar arrays will make ABP one of the largest UK generators and users of solar energy.”

“They have recognised not only the benefits of minimising the impact of operations on the environment but the value in the security of energy supply that solar offers.”

One scheme covering 23,000 sq m on multiple warehouses at Immingham, will become one of the UK’s largest rooftop solar installations when the project is complete in 2018. It is one of two locations set to go live by March 2018, together totalling 4.5MW.

ABP is fast emerging as a significant operator in the renewable energy market, with the current proposals representing a 250% increase on its existing 8MW capacity.