After lengthy delays, the installation at the Technology Centre seems at last to be about to start. The pre-installation meeting took place this week and we heard that all of the remaining edits for the lease and PPA have been agreed. Hopefully the scaffold will be going up next week. This is a large roof, 150 kWp, so it will be a real asset for our portfolio.
We have also sent out an invitation to tender to our preferred installers for the next three sites:
– Pinhoe Road Baptist Church (Solar PV 1)
– Glasshouse Lane Medical Centre (Solar PV 1)
– Jubilee Hall, Swimbridge (Solar PV 2)
We will award contracts in July. Each of them have further negotiations regarding legal agreements but we are confident that installations will be completed in August.
Update on other sites
There has been some progress with Honiton Community Complex but there is a current difficulty, which we are waiting to see whether this can be resolved. Most installations are requesting to have a termination clause and ECOE can only offer this if compensation is paid that covers our shareholding for the project at the time of the termination plus costs of removing the panels. The amount of this compensation is of concern to Honiton Town Council. We will try to resolve this.
The other two Solar PV 2 sites – Southmead School and Lobb Pavilion are progressing but both sites will require planning and at the moment we are unsure whether we will have progressed sufficiently to know for sure the project will go ahead, in time to apply and receive planning permission and for the installation to be completed before the end of SEptember when the pre-registration expires.
With Southmead School, we need to know that Devon County Council will support the project and with Lobb Pavilion there are queries over ownership and also a third party will be involved as this project utilises a private wire to a showerblock at the campsite next door. These negotiations are on going.
