OCS completes 2,250-panel solar carport at Scottish Water's Stepps headquarters

OCS has completed a 2,250-panel solar carport at The Bridge, Scottish Water's headquarters in Stepps, which the facilities management company said is now operational and will supply more than a third of the site's power needs.

Scottish Water Horizons, the utility's commercial subsidiary, led the £2.4m project with OCS as delivery partner. OCS first announced the contract in October 2025.

The panels are bifacial, capturing light from both faces to increase output from the same footprint. OCS said the carport is expected to generate around 0.87GWh of electricity a year, which it equates to the annual consumption of about 320 average UK homes, and to cut carbon emissions by around 160 tonnes a year.

Graeme Hamilton, Managing Director, Energy, OCS UK & Ireland, said: "We are delighted to have played our part in bringing one of Scotland’s largest solar carports to life."

The electrical installation

The array connects to the site through a new low-voltage (LV) switchboard housed in a purpose-built enclosure. Underground cabling runs from the switchboard to inverters distributed across the car park, according to OCS.

The contractor said construction was phased so the office could continue operating throughout the works.

When the contract was announced in October 2025, Keliann Arthur, Project Manager at Scottish Water Horizons, said the carport would provide 34% of the energy needed to run the office. The completion announcement puts the figure at more than a third.

The OCS spokesperson at contract stage was Nick Maggs, Managing Director – Hard Services (UK). The completion announcement was fronted by Hamilton as the company's energy managing director.

Donald MacBrayne, Business Development Manager at Scottish Water Horizons, said the project was delivered on time and within budget.

First carport in a wider programme

Alex Plant, Chief Executive at Scottish Water, said at contract award that this was the utility's first solar carport scheme. Scottish Water now has more than 100 solar schemes operating at sites across Scotland, according to OCS, and has a net zero target of 2040.

Elise Cartmell, General Manager for Net Zero, Scottish Water, said: "The solar carport will help reduce emissions, generate renewable energy and support our wider sustainability ambitions."

Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, said the scheme showed how organisations could make better use of existing assets to reduce emissions.

Planting and habitat improvements around the carport are intended to support wildlife, OCS said.

OCS describes itself as a £3.3bn international facilities management company founded in 1900, with more than 135,000 colleagues delivering integrated facilities management services.

Scottish Water Horizons issued its own release when work started, describing the scheme as a £2.4m solar carport at Scottish Water's head office.