Canadian Solar ended March by announcing two projects and a sale, as the renewable energy supplier expands its UK footprint.
Expansion to England and Scotland
Canadian solar energy‘s energy storage solutions subsidiary, e-STORAGE, will supply 420MWh AC of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in two projects for Drax Group. The projects will be part of the sustainable energy company’s FlexGen portfolio.
The two installations include a 60 MW / 120 MWh AC installation in Marfleet, England, and a 150 MW / 300 MWh AC installation in Neilston, Scotland. Installations are expected to begin in the third quarter of 2026 and early 2027, respectively.
Drax Group Chief Operations Officer Lee Dawes said: “This is our first investment in short-term storage, and these assets will complement our existing generation portfolio.”
“As the UK grid becomes increasingly reliant on intermittent renewable energy sources, these batteries will provide safe power and help keep the lights on when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine.”
A fully integrated and deployed BESS will be provided by e-STORAGE – including the SolBank 3.0 batteries – and it will also oversee operations under a long-term service agreement (LTSA). This includes monitoring, performance analysis and preventive maintenance.
According to Canadian Solar’s announcement, the goal of the agreement with e-STORAGE is to provide “consistent operational availability” throughout the entire life cycle of the projects. The company explained that this will improve network flexibility in their respective regions and contribute to the adoption of renewable energy sources in Britain.
Apatura, a UK-based energy infrastructure company, is developing both projects as the company specializes in digital infrastructure and large-scale BESS. Giles Hanglin, CEO of Apatura, added: “By combining our development expertise with e-STORAGE’s technology and Drax’s operational capabilities, we are delivering assets that strengthen grid security and allow more renewable energy to flow into the system.”
“This partnership with Drax and Apatura reflects our shared commitment to advancing a more flexible and resilient energy system in the United Kingdom,” said Colin Parkin, president of both Canadian Solar and e-STORAGE.
“Leveraging the strong foundation and operational expertise we have built in this market, we are committed to delivering reliable system performance and excellent service to customers across Europe.”
Recurrent sells solar PV installation in Cornwall
The Marfleet and Neilston projects are not Canadian Solar’s only recent UK developments.
The company also ended March with a promotion for Project Higher Witheven – a 42.5 MWp solar project in Cornwall, England – through its subsidiary Recurrent Energy. Earlier this month, the ready-to-build site was sold to investment manager Downing. At the end of March, Higher Witheven had also secured a Contract for Difference (CfD) in the UK government’s Allocation Round 7 (AR7) auction.
In the company’s official announcement, Ismael Guerrero, CEO of Recurrent Energy, said: “The Higher Witheven transaction underlines our ability to develop, develop and successfully commercialize high-quality renewable energy sources.
“Securing a CfD in AR7 further strengthens the competitiveness of our UK pipeline.”
Recurrent Energy’s announcement stated that the site had been designed with long-term environmental impact and management considerations. As such, the project was developed with biodiversity and landscaping in mind.
Higher Witheven is expected to generate more than 46,000 MWh of renewable energy per year and has an expected completion date of the fourth quarter of 2027.
