News 26 March 2026

Custom Solar breaks ground on solar project with the DIO

  • Custom Solar, part of Mitie Power & Grid, has broken ground on a £3.9 million solar installation at Bassingbourn Barracks in Royston, Cambridgeshire, for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) on behalf of the British Army
  • The solar installation will produce around 2.2mWp of renewable electricity per year, enough to power the equivalent of 800 UK homes annually
  • The project builds on Mitie Power & Grid’s successful delivery of a solar installation at Weeton Barracks in Lancashire, which became operational earlier this year

Custom Solar, part of Mitie Power & Grid, has officially broken ground at Bassingbourn Barracks in Royston, Cambridgeshire, ahead of the start of construction on a new solar installation for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), on behalf of the Army.

Spanning over 30,000 square metres, which is the size of four football pitches, and featuring more than 5,000 solar panels, the almost £4 million project will produce around 2.2mWp of renewable electricity each year. This is enough to power the equivalent of 800 UK homes annually, meeting approximately 35% of Bassingbourn Barracks’ annual electricity demand. Over its lifetime, it could cut carbon emissions equivalent to removing around 650 cars from the road annually.

Alongside the solar installation, the project will deliver a local Ecological Enhancement scheme, including the installation of bird boxes, bat boxes and insect hotels, providing a variety of habitats for insects such as bees, butterflies and ladybirds. This will support local biodiversity and reflects both the Army’s and Mitie’s shared commitment to responsible land stewardship, and decarbonisation.

The project follows Mitie Power & Grid’s successful delivery of another solar installation at Weeton Barracks in Lancashire, which became operational in February 2026. Both the Weeton and Bassingbourn arrays have been delivered under the Army’s Project PROMETHEUS. Together, these projects reinforce Mitie’s growing track record of delivering practical, large‑scale renewable energy infrastructure for defence customers, helping cut carbon emissions, improve energy resilience and support the Government’s decarbonisation agenda.

Mark Caskey, Managing Director, Mitie Projects, said:

“Breaking ground at Bassingbourn Barracks builds on our long‑standing relationship with both the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and the Ministry of Defence, and reflects the confidence placed in Mitie to continue delivering solar energy projects across the defence estate.

“Following the successful delivery of the solar installation at Weeton Barracks, we’re pleased to be working with the DIO again to deliver a project that strengthens on‑site energy resilience and supports wider decarbonisation objectives.”

Lieutenant Colonel Ed Brooks, Army Sustainability, Efficiency and Exploitation (SEE) Team Energy Lead, said:

“We are delighted to see work getting underway on a new solar installation at Bassingbourn Barracks.

“By increasing the supply of renewable energy across Army sites, we are building a more sustainable estate that will strengthen our energy resilience and support operational capability, while protecting the environments where our people live, work and train.”

Warren Webster, DIO Major Programmes and Projects Programme Director – Army, said:

“It’s fantastic to see the start of work on another solar array under Project Prometheus. The project is supplying renewable energy to a number of British Army sites, contributing to the Ministry of Defence’s Net Zero targets. This new array at Bassingbourn Barracks is expected to meet 1/3 of the site’s annual electricity needs, marking another stage in our progress towards our goals.”

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