Battery energy storage system (BESS) developer Field has announced it has acquired the Hartmoor BESS from Clearstone Energy.
The 200MW/800MWh project, which would be located on the outskirts of Hartlepool in northeast England, was granted planning permission in 2023. After obtaining construction permits, Clearstone Energy worked with the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to extend the grid connection date for the project from 2033 to 2026, as part of NESO’s efforts to make the grid connection queue more efficient. The need for energy storage assets in the North East of England will become more urgent as the Dogger Bank wind farm project is connected to the grid between 2025 and 2028.
Field currently has a pipeline of 11 GW of energy storage assets across Europe, including ten projects in the UK. Three of these – the 20MW/20MWh Oldham project, the 20MW/20MWh Gerrards Cross development and the 20MW/40MWh Newport project – are operational, while a further seven UK projects totaling 450MW/1GWh are currently under construction or pre-construction are.
Meanwhile, Clearstone will use the funds from asset sales to further develop its 2.2 GW pipeline, which consists of eight large-scale storage projects across the UK, all of which have secured transmission connection data from NESO. The company successfully secured planning permission for its 400MW/800MWh Junction 27 project in Devon in April this year, after announcing plans for the development in September 2023.
Ben Pratt, founder of Clearstone Energy, said: “NESO’s efforts to work with us to accelerate the date of grid connection are testament to its commitment to enabling the rapid build-out of UK battery storage. Field has a compelling vision for the future of the UK energy system and we are pleased that they will see the project through construction and into service.”
Amit Gudka, CEO of Field, highlighted the importance of BESS in achieving net zero targets, adding: “Transmission-connected battery storage sites like Field Hartmoor can reduce curtailment costs, provide stability and reactive energy services at a lower cost to bill payers than any other technology. This is why Field is calling on the Government, Ofgem and the NESO to continue working together to accelerate deployment and enable greater use of battery storage, to achieve a net zero energy system.”
