Plans for a large solar farm at Teesside International Airport

An agreement has been reached between Teesside Airport and energy giant SSE Energy Solutions which will see the following: solar park installed at the airport.

The first phase of the project is scheduled to begin construction early next year and will initially install up to 3 MW of solar power to meet airport and on-site needs.

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Further phases could ultimately deliver 50MW of capacity in the coming years, making it one of the largest solar projects in the UK and capable of displacing over 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the electricity grid each year.

FTSE 100 company SSE has also signed a lease to open a base Teesside Airport.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “This ground-breaking agreement has the potential to deliver one of the largest solar projects of its size in the UK and will deliver our ambition to bring the airport to net zero. In fact, this likely means the airport will be the first in the country to be carbon neutral.

“Our collaboration with SSE Energy Solutions further demonstrates how we can attract the biggest and best companies to our region to work on innovative programs that deliver well-paid, high-skilled jobs and serious investment, while enabling a greener future.”

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Neil Kirkby, managing director of SSE Energy Solutions, said: “This fantastic project fits perfectly with SSE Energy Solutions’ strategy to help local authorities transition to a zero-carbon future while creating great opportunities for local people.”

“To achieve this we are building a strong presence in Teesside by creating a regional ‘hub’, like those we are establishing in many other regions across the UK.”

Teesside Airport announced plans in 2022 to bring its operations to net zero by the end of the decade by decarbonising its buildings and infrastructure and developing sustainable aviation fuel production in the region.

There are also plans to install a new ultra-fast electric vehicle (EV) charging point powered by a solar array, in line with the Mayor of Tees Valley and the Combined Authority’s target to increase the number of public electric vehicle charging points in the Tees Valley increase by 200 percent by 2025.

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Phil Clements, director of energy infrastructure at SSE Energy Solutions, said: “I’m delighted that our project takes a big step towards a carbon neutral future for the people and businesses of Teesside.”

“I am proud that SSE is helping to deliver Mayor Houchen’s Combined Authority decarbonisation plan, bringing jobs and additional investment to the region.”

SSE is investing £10 million a day to build clean energy infrastructure across the UK by 2026.

The announcement follows confirmation in August that Teesside Airport will host a new permanent hydrogen refueling station, following its success in the government’s recent demonstration of an £8 million hydrogen transport hub.