Two leading solar developers will announce they have merged their operations and maintenance (O&M) activities as part of a new 50:50 joint venture.
PS Renewables and Push Energy said their O&M teams have joined together to create PSH Operations, in a move that is thought to be the first major merger the solar O&M sector has seen.
The companies said there was little overlap geographically between their operations, with Push based in Essex and PS in Berkshire.
The merger creates a combined company with contracts to manage close to 600MW of UK solar capacity, along with 114MW of Gas Peaker plants, and a new 7MW Battery plant. PSH Operations said it was now “one of the largest multi-technology O&M companies in Europe”.
Nicola Waters, former COO of Primrose Solar, has been appointed managing director for the new venture.
“In my previous role as the COO of a major asset owner, PS Renewables was my most trusted and capable O&M provider,” she said in a statement. “O&M needs to change and PSH Operations can be a leader in its field, with truly national reach and scale.”
She said the new company would look to resond to evolving customer demand.
“Customers want the basics done well, but increasingly they want value-adding services and aligned incentives to ensure that asset availability and performance are top priorities,” she said. “Innovation and creative thinking will be a key differentiator between O&M providers, and will be a particular strength of this new venture.”
The company today also announced that Next Energy Solar Fund has contracted PSH Operations to provide O&M services at its 15MW Bilsham plant.
Both PS Renewables and Push Energy said they will continue to grow their other businesses in the UK and abroad. PS Renewables has recently connected its first site in the US and purchased a large development company, whilst Push Energy has also contracted a number of Gas Peaker projects and is now developing opportunities in the second build-phase under zero subsidy.
Source: businessgreen.com
