Two major battery storage projects have been unveiled, marking a “significant milestone” for the market.
Sembcorp Energy today (21 October) announced the first 60MW of its battery energy storage system (BESS) fleet are now in operation.
The three sites – in Asfordby in Leicestershire, and Ellesmere Port and Runcorn in Cheshire – bring the group’s total operational energy portfolio to 973MW.
The sites comprise half of a 120MW portfolio of battery storage projects, developed in partnership with Fluence, which will be completed next year
Nomi Ahmad, head of Sembcorp Energy UK, said: “This is a significant milestone as we grow our business with a technology that supports a renewable future and helps deliver the UK Government’s decarbonisation plan. Our assets are positioned close to points of demand where power is most needed. Our sites will play a pivotal role in providing a more secure energy system, helping to mitigate blackout events such as were experienced by UK network operators recently.”
Meanwhile, Gresham House Energy Storage Fund announced this morning that it had agreed to acquire its largest project to date – a 49MW scheme at the Red Scar Business Park near Preston.
The project is being acquired from Gresham House’s DevCo and Noriker Power, which jointly developed it.
It takes the fund’s investment portfolio to 124MW. It has another three battery storage assets – two of 50MW and one of 5MW – due to start construction imminently, taking it to 229MW by the end of Q1 2020.