8 September/October 2014 | Renewable Energy Focus

News Digest | Full news service at http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com

SunEdison, TerraForm Power team

up on a pair of UK solar projects

Britcon UK Ltd completes work on

£20 million anaerobic digestion plant

BRITCON UK has completed

construction of a new AD plant

that it claims is the largest

gas-to-grid AD plant in the UK. The

new anaerobic digestion plant is the

second plant for the ReFood brand

in the UK. Located in Widnes, it

will recycle around 90,000 tonnes of

commercial and domestic food waste,

generating up to 17NWhs of biogas.

SUNEDISON, INC, a leading

global solar technology manu-

facturer and provider of solar

energy services, and TerraForm Power, Inc, a global renewable energy

company, recently announced the

interconnection of two large-scale

solar projects totalling 50 MW DC in

the UK.

The solar projects will become

part of TerraForm Power’s operating

portfolio before the end of 2014, and

SunEdison will continue to man-

age them. This portfolio consolidates

SunEdison and TerraForm Power’s

presence in the UK solar market and

continues SunEdison’s steady expan-

sion in the region.

“The interconnection and even-

tual drop-down of these major solar

projects demonstrates the mu-

tual benefi ts of our partnership with

SunEdison,” said Carlos Domenech,

president and chief executive offi cer

of TerraForm Power. “SunEdison can

accelerate the growth of its global

pipeline with the knowledge that

TerraForm will allow them to ben-

efi t from long-term ownership. As

SunEdison’s projects come on-line, we

are well positioned to acquire them

and generate increased CAFD for our

investors.”

Once operational, the solar power

plants will be managed by the SunEdi-

son Renewable Operation Center.

The energy will then be transported

directly to the national gas grid

to provide enough power for 8,000

homes.

Britcon was appointed to deliver

the complex and highly specialist

project in Widnes following the suc-

cessful completion of ReFood’s fi rst

AD plant in Doncaster, for which it

was also recently appointed to deliver

a £1.85 million extension. Britcon was

principal contractor for the entire

project where more than 1000 in-

ternational workers were employed

over an intensive 18-month build

programme.

The Widnes AD project brief in-

cluded earthworks, piling operations

and major structural works compris-

ing multiple high rise, post tensioned,

circular, reinforced digester tanks,

receiving tanks and gas storage tanks

and a state-of-the-art depackaging

building complex.

The Widnes plant is the fi rst

gas-to-grid AD plant in ReFood’s

European portfolio of 11 plants, which

together provide enough power for

46,000 homes.

The new anaerobic digestion plant, located in Widnes, will recycle around 90,000 tonnes of commercial and domestic food waste and will generate up to 17NWhs of biogas.

European

Investment Bank

backs large West

African solar

installation

THE EUROPEAN Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed to pro-

vide EUR 23 million to support

investment in one of the largest pho-

tovoltaic power stations in sub-Saha-

ran Africa. The 30 MW, EUR 70.5

million scheme will be constructed at

Zagtouli on the outskirts of Ouaga-

dougou, the capital of Burkina Faso,

and will be operated by national elec-

tricity utility, SONABEL. Not only will the new solar

plant greatly increase power gen-

eration in Burkina Faso, but it also

aims to reduce dependence on energy

imports from Ivory Coast and Ghana,

while helping to prevent power cuts.

The new plant is expected to act as a

reference for future solar investment

across the continent.

The 20 year-loan agreement for

the facility, to be built outside the

capital Ouagadougou, was signed

at the EIB headquarters by: Lucien

Bembamba, Minister of Economy and

Finance for the Republic of Burkina

Faso; and Pim van Ballekom, EIB

Vice President responsible for lending

in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacifi c.

Jean-Christophe Ilboudo, Director

General of SONABEL, and Frederic

Korsaga, Ambassador of Burkina Faso

to Luxembourg, were also present.

“The EIB is a strong partner for

Burkina Faso, and this close coop-

eration over many years has enabled

signifi cant investment in new water

and energy infrastructure that has

created jobs across the country,”

said Lucien Bembamba, Minister of

Economy and Finance for the Repub-

lic of Burkina Faso. “The new support

agreed for investment by SONABEL

in renewable energy is an important

milestone in the long-standing coop-

eration between Burkina Faso and

Europe.”

REF0514_News_Digest 8 01-10-2014 10:23:54