The development business of Public Power Solutions (PPS), Swindon Borough Council’s energy business, has been acquired by Ethical Power Development Ltd. The acquisition will see the development team and its current solar and storage project pipeline transferred to Ethical Power.
PPS and Ethical Power have been working together developing projects since July 2021. They said the acquisition allows Ethical Power to take on a mature pipeline of projects with a combined capacity of more than 250MW, including large-scale solar PV and battery co-located projects.
Steve Cains, Director of Power Solutions, PPS, said: “PPS and Ethical Power already share a common commitment to deliver clean energy projects which help tackle the climate crisis and boost the UK’s energy security while delivering long term benefits for local communities. This exciting next step is a natural evolution of our existing partnership providing a sustainable basis for future growth.”
Spencer Jansen, Managing Director of Ethical Power Development Ltd, said: “We are very pleased to welcome the PPS team into Ethical Power. In our successful partnership to date, we’ve seen the breadth of their knowledge and experience. This is an important milestone supporting further expansion of the business and will allow us to streamline project developments both in the UK and internationally.”
PPS was set up in 2014 as a wholly owned company of Swindon Borough Council (SBC), (previously trading as Swindon Commercial Services) to deliver new renewable energy projects nationwide, offering a full suite of development and asset management services. It has supported over 50 public and community organisations to deliver large-scale renewable energy projects, including a 62MW solar scheme for the Science Museum in Wroughton. It also developed two large-scale battery projects in Swindon, with the 50 MW Mannington battery being the largest in the UK at the time.
The company also led the development and funding of the Waterside Innovation Hub, comprising solar, battery storage and electric vehicle charging, part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.