UK battery storage developer Field has reached financial close on two new battery energy storage systems (BESS) projects in Britain, adding 239MW/1GWh of flexible capacity to its construction pipeline.
One of the projects, called Keith, a 39MW/200MWh battery storage facility, is one of the longest running BESS projects to reach financial completion in the UK to date. The project is expected to help manage Scotland’s heavily restricted B4 transmission border, a key transmission restricted area in central Scotland.
The battery system for Keith will be supplied by Chinese energy storage supplier Sungrow, while the remainder of the factory works will be supplied by Scottish contractor RJ McLeod. The financing is insured with ING Group and Rabobank.
The project is expected to start in 2027.
Meanwhile, Hartmoor is a larger 200MW/800MWh project that will provide additional flexibility in the North East of England as offshore wind capacity grows and existing generation assets retire.
The project is expected to support the integration of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm and provide grid support as EDF Energy’s Hartlepool nuclear power station nears decommissioning.
Hartmoor’s battery storage system will be supplied by Envision Energy, while the remainder of the plant’s supply will be handled by H&MV Engineering. Financing has been obtained from ABN Amro and Rabobank.
Hartmoor is expected to be powered by 2028.
Amit Gudka, CEO of Field, said: “Keith and Hartmoor are taking us to four large-scale battery projects in construction, on top of our growing operational fleet – proving Field can build and operate multiple complex storage projects simultaneously, at pace, in different markets. Both will be optimized by Gaia from day one, extending our internal platform to our growing portfolio.”
Both projects will be executed using Field’s internal optimization platform, Gaia, with revenues supported by day-ahead swaps agreed with bankable counterparties.
The financial close takes Field’s UK construction portfolio to four battery storage projects. Keith and Hartmoor join the company’s Drum Farm and Holmston projects, which are expected to come online in the coming months.
Field now has 490 MW/1.5 GWh of battery storage capacity, operational or under construction in its portfolio. Earlier this year, the company commissioned its first German project, a battery storage facility in Waldkappel, Hesse.
The milestone follows Field receiving positive ‘minded to’ decisions for five long-term energy storage projects (LDES). The UK government’s cap-and-floor scheme. These projects represent a combined potential storage capacity of 1.6 GW/26.9 GWh.
Following additional investment from infrastructure investor CVC DIF, Field says the latest transactions take the total debt and equity raised for European flexible infrastructure investments above £500 million.
