French utility Engie has deployed 100 MW battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Scotland.
Each BESS site consists of two projects in Cathkin (near East Kilbride) and Broxburn (west of Edinburgh), has a capacity of 50 MW/100 MWh and will provide high-speed network services and support the 24-hour integration of renewable energy sources.
Engie’s AI-driven optimization platform, Orus, will power the BESS projects’ dynamic response to the grid. According to the utility, the two-hour storage duration will play a crucial role in balancing supply and demand by releasing the stored excess energy into the grid when necessary.
The start of operations at the two BESS locations brings the utility’s onshore renewable energy portfolio to 242 MW. The company also has 2.1 GW of pumped storage hydro capacity operational in Britain.
Suresh Bhaskar, managing director for renewables and batteries UK and Ireland at ENGIE, said: “The commercial operation of Cathkin and Broxburn represents a significant milestone for ENGIE’s battery storage ambitions in the UK.
“As renewable energy becomes an increasingly important part of the electricity mix, flexible storage infrastructure is essential to ensure the electricity grid remains stable, resilient and able to support the transition to net zero.”
According to Engie, the operational start of the two BESS projects in Scotland marks a “significant step forward” in the UK’s continued investment in flexible, low-carbon infrastructure.
In addition, the French utility expanded its presence in Britain with the acquisition of electricity distributor UK Power Networks (UKPN) from Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Group, founded earlier this year by billionaire Li Ka-shing.
The acquisition was carried out via a share value of £10.5 billion and was part of a strategy by the utility to strengthen its position in regulated electricity networks, ‘to become the best energy transition company’. The expansion through UKPN also made the United Kingdom Engie’s second largest country of operations.
