Renewable Energy Systems (RES), an independent renewable energy company, has secured a three-year contract to operate and maintain the Cleve Hill solar farm, currently the largest in the United Kingdom with an installed capacity of 373 megawatts. The site, located in Kent, became operational in July.
A nationally significant infrastructure asset
The Cleve Hill solar farm is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), with development consent granted in May 2020 by the Secretary of State for Energy. The site was developed for Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners by Metlen, the company responsible for its construction. This marks the first collaboration between RES and Metlen within the United Kingdom.
Under the contract, RES will provide operational optimisation of the facility, drawing on its internal technical capabilities and expertise in utility-scale solar projects. The company will implement asset management services to maximise the site’s performance and reliability.
A step in RES’s growth strategy
This operational transfer allows RES to integrate Cleve Hill into its managed portfolio, now totalling 2.5 gigawatts across the United Kingdom and Ireland. This capacity includes 2.2 gigawatts of solar projects and 300 megawatts of energy storage. Four new staff members have joined local teams as part of the transaction.
The company states that expanding its asset base aligns with its consolidation strategy in high-potential markets, with a focus on technical service continuity and direct management of transferred assets.
Partnerships and multi-region deployment
RES and Metlen are already engaged in projects in Italy, Romania and Australia. This new step in the United Kingdom extends their geographic cooperation, as asset transfer operations become increasingly common in mature energy markets.
RES reports having developed more than 28 gigawatts of projects globally. The addition of Cleve Hill strengthens its position in the UK market, reflecting the evolution of direct management models and the operational integration of strategic energy infrastructure.
