NATS expands renewable energy programme with Swanwick solar project
NATS has commissioned its largest renewable energy installation to date, bringing a new ground-mounted solar array into operation at its Swanwick air traffic control centre in Hampshire as part of its wider decarbonisation strategy.
image: NATS
The installation comprises 5,760 solar panels on land adjacent to the Swanwick Operations Centre. Combined with an existing rooftop solar array of 2,606 panels installed in 2024, the site is expected to generate around 3.3m kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity annually –enough to meet approximately 17.5% of the centre's annual electricity demand, according to NATS.
Swanwick is one of the UK's two principal air traffic control centres, managing approximately 200,000 square miles of airspace over England and Wales, including the complex airspace above London and handling some of the busiest and most complex airspace in Europe.
NATS said the new solar installation, which became operational earlier in June, had generated more than 195,000 kWh of renewable electricity during its first two weeks of operation. The company estimates this avoided around 40,000kg of carbon emissions while reducing reliance on grid electricity and exposure to fluctuations in energy prices.
Ian Jopson, Sustainability Director at NATS, said, “We’re proud that this investment is being made here in Hampshire, supporting our journey towards net zero while demonstrating that critical national infrastructure can play its part in the UK’s transition to cleaner energy.”
NATS has set targets to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 and become carbon negative by 2040.