Karmactive Team
Transport for London (TfL) has signed a landmark 15-year agreement with EDF Renewables UK to power the London Underground with clean solar energy. The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) will see a new solar facility built in Longfield, Essex, creating a significant shift toward renewable energy for London’s iconic Tube network.
The Longfield Solar Farm will supply approximately 80 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity annually to TfL, enough to run the entire Tube network for a year or power both the DLR and Tram networks for 15 years. Construction is expected to begin in 2026, with TfL securing a fixed price that protects it from energy market volatility.
“This PPA is a landmark moment for us,” said Lilli Matson, TfL’s Chief Safety, Health and Environment Officer. “It enables EDF Renewables UK to invest in a brand new facility for clean electricity supply for our Tube network and GB’s grid – a significant step in our mission to make all our services powered this way by 2030.”
The environmental benefits extend beyond clean energy. The 400-hectare solar farm site, formerly lower-grade farmland, will undergo substantial ecological enhancement with tree and hedgerow planting and natural regeneration. The project aims to achieve an 87.1% biodiversity net gain, far exceeding the 10% legal requirement under the Environment Act 2021.
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Over the 15-year contract, TfL expects to save more than 28,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, equivalent to 33,300 one-way flights between London and New York. As London’s largest electricity consumer, using around 1.6 terawatt hours annually, this agreement marks a substantial step toward the organization’s goal of using 100% renewable electricity by 2030.
The benefits go beyond environmental improvements. The solar facility will create new green jobs in construction and operation while stimulating economic activity in the east and southeast of England. The contract also establishes a model for how large public organizations can use their purchasing power to drive investment in renewable energy.
“We are using our purchasing power to make public transport the most environmentally sustainable choice Londoners can make,” Matson explained. “By giving EDF Renewables UK the security to invest in new renewable energy sources, we are also creating new green jobs, improving biodiversity and wildlife, and stimulating the national economy.”
The solar farm will contribute approximately 400 GWh of electricity annually to the National Grid by the decade’s end, supporting the broader UK goal of delivering a clean grid by 2030.
TfL is also expanding its renewable energy ambitions by launching a tender for a delivery partner to develop additional purpose-built solar farms directly connected to the London Underground network. These private wire schemes could potentially generate up to 64 megawatts of electricity, about 5% of the Tube’s energy requirements.
The announcement coincides with the Mayor of London’s launch of a new climate finance taskforce aimed at unlocking £75 billion in private investment for climate-related projects across the capital, reinforcing London’s commitment to becoming a net-zero carbon city by 2030.
