Atlantic Green has signed a deal worth almost £200m with Ameresco, which will build a new 300MW battery energy storage system (BESS) alongside Envision Energy.
The Cellarhead BESS project will connect to National Grid’s Cellarhead substation in the West Midlands and will have a maximum energy capacity of 624 MWh. Construction is expected to start this year and the final connection to the electricity grid is planned for the end of 2026.
The development agreement between the parties is worth £196.5 million; The long-term agreement stipulates that Atlantic Green will operate and maintain the property once it is connected to the electricity grid.
“We are delighted to announce our partnership with Atlantic Green to build one of the largest battery energy storage projects in Britain,” said Mark Apsey, senior vice-president of UK Operations at Ameresco.
“Energy storage is one of the key technologies needed to achieve the UK’s net zero targets,” Apsey said. “Together, Ameresco and Atlantic Green will help support Britain’s progress towards greater energy autonomy and achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
“This project is an example of our commitment to pushing the boundaries of battery storage technology, a cornerstone of sustainable energy systems,” said Kane Xu, Global VP at Envision Energy.
“Working together with Atlantic Green and Ameresco, we can demonstrate the critical role that advanced battery solutions play in improving energy security and enabling a seamless transition to renewable energy sources,” said Xu. “We are proud to contribute our cutting-edge technology to this ground-breaking British initiative.”
BESS in Great Britain
Britain has paid a lot of attention to the implementation of BESS in recent years. A recent report from RenewableUK shows that Britain’s battery project pipeline increased by 38.5 GW over the past 12 months, an increase of 67.4% on the previous year. This is the second consecutive twelve-month period in which the pipeline has increased by this percentage.
Last month Fred. Olsen Renewables has submitted proposals for its first hybrid scheme in Scotland, including 60MW of battery energy storage capacity and 60MW of solar power generation capacity.
Meanwhile, National Grid has been working to increase the speed at which BESS projects are connected to the grid, announcing in November 2023 that it would accelerate connection dates for 19 battery energy storage projects with a cumulative capacity of approximately 10 GW.
This article first appeared on our sister site Current±.
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