The Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation, Keir Mather MP, has officially opened Liverpool John Lennon Airport’s (LJLA) new £3m solar farm during a visit to the airport.

The airport’s investment in the solar farm is a key part of its decarbonisation plan and a zero carbon future for the airport operation by 2040.

Solar panel experts Activ8 Energies in partnership with SSE Airtricity, designed and installed the new solar farm, which is located within the airport perimeter fence on land to the east of the runway.

It is capable of generating up to 3 MW (megawatts) of electricity, powering up to 25 per cent of the airport’s current overall electricity demand.

John Irving, CEO Liverpool John Lennon Airport, commented: “Our new solar farm is the next part of our journey towards a zero carbon future by 2040.”

Ciaran Marron, CEO of Activ8 Energies, added: “We’re proud to have partnered with SSE Airtricity and Liverpool John Lennon Airport to deliver a system that will generate clean electricity on site for decades to come.

“With an installed capacity of up to 3 MW, the solar farm will make a significant contribution to reducing the airport’s carbon footprint while strengthening its energy resilience.