Projects

Frodsham Wind Farm is one of England’s largest onshore wind generating stations, and the largest in the Cheshire region, with an installed capacity of more than 50 MW. Construction of the wind farm began in March 2015 and became fully operational in February 2017. We became the first construction site in the UK to win the Wildlife Trusts’ Biodiversity Benchmark award in 2016. Several ecological constraints on the site were identified during the planning process and then effectively managed during construction.

Surveys identified that Cell 4 had previously supported a breeding Marsh Harrier population, which is a Schedule 1 listed bird. During the construction phase, two cycles of breeding have passed with the 2015 season leading to two nesting pairs and five juveniles fledging the nests. In 2016 only one pair mated at the site, but this led to the production of two offspring.

The constraints involved with working in Cell 4 with the breeding Marsh Harriers during track laying and turbine erection was challenging to the whole construction team in terms of exclusion zones, vehicle noise and speed limits.

Regular visits from both the Client Ecological Clerk of Works and the Construction Ecological Clerk of Works helped to monitor and manage the impact of the works on badgers and water voles.

As part of planning requirements, a Habitat Mitigation Area was developed in Cell 3, in part to improve the existing environment and in part to mitigate the habitat lost in other areas of the site. This is now well established and hosts thirteen ‘scrapes’ that are encouraging wading birds to feed here.

The wind farm, which stretches across nearly 2 miles (3.2 km) of open moorland between Edenfield, Rawtenstall and Rochdale, was officially opened by Peel NRE on 25 September 2008 and was at that time the largest onshore wind farm in England. It comprises 26 Nordex N80 wind turbines. It has a total nameplate capacity of 65 MW of electricity, providing 154,000 MWh per year; enough to serve the average needs of 40,000 homes. The site occupies 1,347 acres (545 ha) of open moorland.

Hadlow Solar Park is an 18.9MWp project located near Tonbridge in Kent. The project was built on 64 acres (25.9 ha) of land and commissioned in 2015. It is made up of 68,800 ground-mounted fixed-tilt solar modules, which produce enough clean energy to power 5,200 average UK homes per year.

Hadlow has worked with the local community to help educate younger generations on solar PV systems and how they work operate by organising school trips to the site.

Owl’s Hatch Solar Park is Cubico’s largest solar PV project in the United Kingdom. The project is a 51.9MWp ground-mounted PV plant located 2km south of the seaside town of Herne Bay, Kent. It was built on 212 acres (85.7 ha) of land and is made up of 199,760 solar modules. Owl’s Hatch was opened in 2015 and generates enough clean energy to power 14,400 average UK homes per year. 

Broxted Solar Park is a 31.6MWp project built on the former RAF Stradishall airfield in Suffolk. It occupies 147 acres (59.5 ha) of land and is made up of 127,200 ground-mounted fixed-tilt solar modules. The project, which was built in 2014, produces enough clean energy to power 8,600 average UK homes per year.  

Broxted was designed with conservation at the forefront. In 2013, the Environmental Management Group, which provides the services of a local ornithologist and botanist, was formed to monitor the project’s impact on wildlife. Broxted also manages a community fund which provides financial support to community-minded organisations or groups in the area surrounding the village of Hundon, including the Hundon Primary School.  

Penmanshiel Wind Farm is a 28.7 MW project consisting of 14 Senvion MM82 turbines located near Grantshouse in the Scottish Borders. The project, which was built in 2016, produces enough clean energy to power to 20,000 average UK homes per year.  

The project was built in Penmanshiel Moor and has a Habitat Management Plan aimed at promoting the growth of dwarf shrub, recovering the habitat from invasive species, and ensuring that there is no disruption to the local farming industry.  

Penmanshiel offers a community benefits package, which comprises a community benefit fund and a Local Electricity Discount Scheme (LEDS). As part of the LEDS, the community properties closest to the project, including schools, places of worship and village halls, receive a discount on their electricity bill for the lifetime of the wind farm.