OnPath Energy secures NatWest financing for first combined solar and battery project

Sunderland-headquartered OnPath Energy has reached financial close on its first project combining solar generation and battery storage, securing long-term financing from NatWest.

The agreement covers Common Farm Solar Park, near Dinnington in South Yorkshire, where the company is building a 49MW solar installation alongside a 50MW battery energy storage system.

The financing includes a term loan and additional facilities to support the project through construction and operation. The amount has not been disclosed.

Common Farm has two separate commercial arrangements. Its solar generation is covered by a long-term, subsidy-free contract to sell its power to an unnamed global technology company, while the battery system has a third-party optimisation agreement.

The battery is a two-hour system, meaning it can discharge at its full 50MW capacity for about two hours, equivalent to around 100 megawatt-hours of stored electricity.

OnPath Energy finance director Oliver Hartley said: "While there are currently few co-located sites across the UK, especially at this scale, it makes technical and operational sense to place solar and battery technologies in the same location and allows for efficient use to be made of the available grid connections."

The new agreement builds on OnPath's existing relationship with NatWest. In October 2024, the bank was among four lenders that provided the company with a £120m corporate credit facility to support development across its wider project pipeline. The latest agreement provides financing specifically for Common Farm.

The project is part of OnPath's expansion beyond its established onshore wind business into solar generation and energy storage.

As Review North reported in September, the Brookfield-owned company is targeting more than £1bn of investment in UK clean energy projects by 2030, with asset sales helping fund new developments.

In January, OnPath completed the sale of seven English wind farms to European renewable energy producer ERG. Earlier this month, it agreed the conditional sale of Barnsdale Solar Park in West Yorkshire to Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust.

OnPath announced the start of construction at Common Farm in August. Solar panel installation is under way and foundations have been laid for the battery system. OnPath expects the development to generate enough electricity to meet the average annual requirements of up to 18,800 homes, with completion scheduled for mid-2027.