Tesco has signed a major power purchase agreement (PPA) for solar energy that will see it buy enough electricity for an estimated 144 large stores.

Britain’s largest supermarket chain said it would purchase 65% of the solar power generation from Cleve Hill Solar Park in Faversham, Kent. The site is home to the UK’s largest solar and battery storage project, with a capacity of 373MW. It began construction in early 2023 and is set to become operational in early 2025.

Tesco said the 15-year agreement represents the largest corporate PPA for solar power in the UK yet. Once complete, Cleve Hill will house more than 560,000 solar panels alongside energy storage infrastructure. The solar park will provide up to 10% of Tesco’s total UK electricity demand.

Over the past five years, Tesco has announced multiple energy sourcing projects, primarily from wind farms and solar parks across the UK. The firm is aiming to be carbon neutral in its “group operations” by 2035 and net zero across the entire...