Pathfinder Clean Energy (PACE) has announced that its Attleborough Road solar farm in Norfolk has successfully energised, marking the project’s transition from construction into operation.
Located near Attleborough, 15 miles south-west of Norwich, the 25 MWp solar PV installation is built on 79 acres of leased low-grade agricultural land. Energisation follows the completion of structural installation across all 35,000 solar panels earlier this year, and the subsequent electrical installation and commissioning phase.
Attleborough Road holds a 20-year Contract for Difference secured through the UK Government’s AR7a Allocation Round, underpinning the project’s revenue for the long term. Once fully commissioned, the site is expected to generate enough clean electricity to power approximately 8,000 UK homes annually, while avoiding an estimated 5,800 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year.
The milestone follows close behind FID at Tophams energy park and construction progress at PACE’s nearby Three Bridges solar and battery storage project, with both sites having been developed and delivered concurrently by PACE’s in-house construction team.
Rob Denman, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Pathfinder Clean Energy, said: 'Energisation at Attleborough Road comes in the same month the UK has recorded its hottest day of the year, with wildfires breaking out and much of Europe under extreme heat warnings. I’ve been in clean energy for over 20 years, and we started the energy transition a long time ago, the issue was never a lack of awareness, it’s pace. The costs of not moving fast enough are no longer theoretical; they’re showing up now, in the damage and disruption we’re seeing play out across the UK and Europe this summer. Delivering home-grown, reliable clean power at scale, and financing it properly, has to match the urgency of what we’re now living through. Attleborough Road, delivered alongside Three Bridges on an overlapping timeline, shows PACE can execute at the speed this moment demands.'
Bram Claeys, Construction Director, PACE Construction, said: 'Getting Attleborough Road safely and successfully energised reflects the strength of our in-house delivery model. Our teams have managed this project from structural installation right through electrical works and commissioning, and the result is a high-quality, grid-ready asset now contributing clean power to the network.'
Attleborough Road adds to PACE’s fast-growing operational portfolio in the UK, reinforcing the company’s transition from developer to active constructor and operator of clean energy infrastructure across its platform.
Source: Pathfinder Clean Energy
