Published on: 30 October 2025
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded £485,000 from Great British Energy to install solar panels at its Clarendon site in Hebburn.
The new panels will save the Trust £60,000 a year in energy costs and cut 61 tonnes of carbon emissions. This supports the Trust’s Green Plan and its commitment to tackling climate change.
Ken Bremner MBE, Chief Executive, said: "This investment is a big step forward in our sustainability journey. By generating clean energy, we’ll reduce costs and our carbon footprint, freeing up resources to reinvest in patient care."
In September, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced up to £75 million of investment from Great British Energy and the government for multiple military sites, and more schools and NHS trusts, to roll out solar panels.
The NHS is the single biggest public sector energy user, with an estimated annual energy bill of around £1.34 billion, that has almost doubled since 2019. Solar schemes like this will help reduce costs and emissions, supporting the Trust’s Green Plan and national NHS net zero goals.
Thirty-four trusts in the country have been awarded funding. Helping them to power health services with clean, homegrown energy and even sell surplus energy back to the grid. The scheme could save up to £65 million in energy costs over the next 30 years.
Work at Clarendon will begin before Christmas, with completion expected by March 2026.
