Medebridge Solar Farm, Essex

Project Details

Completed and energised, Medebridge Solar Farm is now generating over 72,500 MWh per year, supplying clean electricity to the University of Manchester under a landmark 10‑year Corporate PPA.

The site provides around 65% of the University’s electricity demand, with approximately 80% of the plant’s output (~58 GWh annually) purchased by the institution. This arrangement avoids around 12,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year. The solar farm spans 175 acres of land near South Ockendon.

LOCATION:	Medebridge, Essex
POWER CAPACITY:	71MWp
STATUS:	Operational
MODULES:	Trina Solar 690 / 695Wp Bi-facial modules
NUMBER OF MODULES INSTALLED:	102,508
INVERTERS:	Huawei SUN2000 String Inverters
NUMBER OF INVERTERS INSTALLED:	170
CONNECTION VOLTAGE:	33kV
ENERGISATION DATE:	August 2025

What was involved

Enviromena acquired the Medebridge solar project near South Ockenden, Essex in March 2024. The acquisition was handled by Enviromena’s experienced in-house legal team over a 12-month period and with a development and term loan facility from Close Brothers Energy.

Medebridge is a large-scale, ready-to-build project on 175 acres of low-grade agricultural land, equivalent to the size of around 70 football pitches. Construction has already commenced and once complete, the project will generate 72,560 MWh per annum that will save more than 12,690 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

The site will also create a significant biodiversity net gain with enhancements to the existing hedgerows and planting of native grassland and wildflower meadow beneath and around the solar arrays. It is hoped the site will encourage nesting opportunities for wildlife and improved habitat connectivity.

Corporate PPA

There is a Corporate Power Purchase agreement (cPPA) in place on the site, to deliver clean energy to the University of Manchester over a 10 year period. The cPPA commits the University to purchase 80% of Medebridge’s total annual generation capacity of around 59GWh, reducing University carbon emissions by 12,000 t/co2 every year – enough to power 26,875 homes.

The partnership with the University of Manchester was significant because the long-term purchasing commitment between the University and Enviromena played a key role in bringing this development forward. The agreement took over three years in planning, procurement and negotiations, but has paid off in the form of a huge sustainability commitment from a red-brick university in its bicentenary year, while adding much-needed renewable energy capacity to the UK electricity system.

Construction

Construction was carried out between Spring 2024 and Summer 2025. The project was delivered on time, without a single health and safety incident and to the highest standards of quality and environmental care.

Management of the site

Enviromena will own, operate and manage the site for the duration of the project design life, including the provision of full O&M and asset management services.