Lawyers from the Bristol office of international legal practice Osborne Clarke have advised on the acquisition of the largest solar park in the UK.
The 220-acre Shotwick site on the Wirral/Flintshire border operates at a 72MW peak capacity and a 50MW AC export capacity.
Leading independent infrastructure and private equity investment manager Foresight acquired Shotwick through its Foresight Solar Fund as part of a deal in which Foresight will sell the green power generated at the site to energy-intensive business UPM – the largest producer of 100% recycled newsprint in the UK – and its Shotton Paper Mill via a private wire. 
This contract allows UPM’s mill to run on up to 100% green energy during the day, potentially saving 202,500 tonnes of CO2 in one year.
The developers – Street, Somerset-based British Solar Renewables, London firm WElink, and Compton Group, based in Swansea – worked with Foresight and UPM on the ground-breaking private wire arrangement, which also has the flexibility to export to the grid. China Triumph International Engineering Co. Ltd. acted as the EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contractor contractor on the project.
The Osborne Clarke team advising Foresight, the largest of the solar focused renewables infrastructure companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, on the transaction was led by corporate partner Matthew Lewis and energy and utilities partner Alan John.
They were assisted by associate director Chris Yeo and associate Ashley Morris (corporate), senior associate Deborah Harvey (projects), partner Carl Thompson and senior associate Duncan Parker (construction) and senior associates Charlotte Walker (property) and John Webster (planning). 
Matthew Lewis, pictured, said: “This is a landmark transaction, not just for Foresight but for renewables generation in the industrial sector in the UK more generally.
“It’s a sign that the market is starting to shift towards corporate collaboration in order to effectively manage long-term business costs while also, and crucially, lowering carbon emissions.
“Foresight is a pioneering company in this respect and it’s been a pleasure to work on such an innovative and complex transaction with them.”
Foresight partner and head of UK Solar Ricardo Pineiro added: “We are delighted to reach financial close on the acquisition of Shotwick Solar Park, a project with a unique deal structure, delivering green electricity to Shotton Paper Mill.
“As the UK’s largest solar site the project sets an exciting new precedent in scale and flexibility for cost-efficient private wire arrangements and integration of renewable generation in the UK industrial sector.”
Osborne Clarke is one of the leading law firms advising on renewable energy projects and transactions.
The team’s experience and understanding of the energy sector means it is regularly called on to support businesses on all aspects of their commercial, regulatory, corporate, finance and construction legal needs.
Foresight invests in ground-based UK solar power assets with the objective of delivering a sustainable and increasing index-linked dividend to shareholders with the potential for capital growth over the long-term. It has a 420MW, 17-asset portfolio,
Pictured: Matthew Lewis, left, and Alan John
