Proactive Investors - British Gas parent Centrica PLC (LON:CNA) has acquired two solar projects in England’s West Country as part of plans to invest £4 billion in renewables over the coming years.
Combined, the sites in Dorset and Wiltshire will have a capacity of 29 megawatts (MW) and be able to power around 7,800 homes.
“Solar will play an increasingly important role in the UK as we strive for a net zero energy system,” Centrica director Greg McKenna commented.
Dorset’s Winterborne Whitechurch project is set to start construction this year with the first energy scheduled in 2025 and will include a 16MW solar farm, alongside battery storage.
The Roundponds site in Wiltshire is already operational meanwhile, boasting 13MW output having opened in 2015.
Such additions, made for an undisclosed sum, to Centrica’s portfolio come as the energy firm plans to invest as much as £4 billion in renewable generation by 2028.
Shares climbed 1% to 129p on the news.