Located at four different locations across the South and South East of England, the installations have been built under the Renewables Obligation (RO) subsidy regime. The four solar power stations refinanced are Chalcroft (6.3MW), Chediston Hall (12.4MW), Lexham (7.9MW) and Burntstalks (11.5MW). This latest Lightsource transaction represents the biggest Renewables Obligation solar farm project financing in the UK to date.
Paul McCartie, structured finance director of Lightsource, said: “Investec has proven to be an exceptional, supportive partner and we look forward to strengthening our partnership with future deals. A report released by the government earlier this year, confirms the UK is leading the way in emerging low carbon sectors. This and other indicators, make it very clear that the green economy is one of the main sources of growth for the UK.”
Olivier Fricot, head of power and renewables lending, Investec, said: “Investec supported Lightsource in its first ROC based project financing. This transaction represents a significant deal for us, and further endorses the expertise of our team in the UK renewables sector. We are seeing significant opportunities in large-scale PV projects under the Renewables Obligation, which we are currently pursuing alongside other renewable technologies, such as wind or biomass.”