Battery energy storage system (BESS) developer Fidra Energy has joined forces with energy storage system supplier Sungrow to support the growth of Fidra’s BESS portfolio.
Sungrow will supply two Fidra Energy projects in the UK with liquid-cooled Power-Titan 2.0 BESS units and provide long-term maintenance services for both sites.
The first location where the PowerTian 2.0 systems are expected to be installed is the Thorpe Marsh project in South Yorkshire. Once completed, the site will house a 1.4 GW BESS with a 2-hour duration, although Sungrow notes that expansion to a 4-hour system is possible at a later date. Construction is expected to start in 2025, and once connected the Thorpe Marsh BESS will be one of the largest BESS projects in Europe.
The second site to be fitted with Sungrow equipment is the West Burton C BESS, a 500 MW/1 GWh project due to start construction in 2026.
James Wu, senior vice president of Sungrow, commented: “This partnership with Fidra Energy represents a shared commitment to energy innovation and an investment in Britain’s sustainable future. By bringing our technology to these pioneering projects, we are setting a new standard for energy storage solutions to support the UK’s renewable energy goals for years to come.”
“Battery storage is a proven, cost-effective and flexible technology that will be critical to Europe’s energy transition,” said Chris Elder, CEO of Fidra Energy. “Sungrow has demonstrated that it will be an excellent partner, and we look forward to working with them to support our UK and European growth ambitions.”
Fidra’s bold ambitions
Institutional energy investment company EIG launched Fidra Energy in October this year with an initial development pipeline of 3.15 GW. The Edinburgh-headquartered company has set an ambitious target to have a 10 GW BESS portfolio across the UK and Europe by 2030.
In addition to the Thorpe Marsh and West Burton C projects, Fidra Energy is also developing the 1.2 GW/2.4 GWh Bicker Fen 1&2 project in Lincolnshire, England. No building permit has yet been granted for this project; Final planning approval is expected to be granted in 2025, with commercial activities expected to commence in 2028 or 2029.
Meanwhile, Sungrow has also been working to implement the PowerTitan 2.0 system in other BESS projects in the UK. In September the company signed an agreement with Penso Power and BW ESS to supply the Hams Hall Energy Storage project with 280 sets of PowerTitan 2.0 units, and in August Sungrow agreed to supply SSE Renewables’ Monk Fryston project with 320 MW/640 MWh of energy. PowerTitan units.
