Developer SSE Renewables has achieved commercial operations on the 150MW/300MWh Ferrybridge Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project in West Yorkshire.
The project was built on the site of the former Ferrybridge 2GW coal-fired power station, which was decommissioned in 2016.
The recently commissioned BESS project is designed to store electricity and return it to the grid when demand is greatest, SSE said. The company added that by adding fast energy storage, the project will help balance supply and demand and support the efficiency and reliable operation of the UK electricity grid.
Construction of the Ferrybridge project started in August 2023 and 136 battery units were installed supplied by the Chinese manufacturer Sungrow. Both companies will also collaborate on another BESS project in Yorkshirewith Sungrow supplying 320 MW/640 MWh of its PowerTitan liquid-cooled BESS units to the Monk Fryston project.
The construction of the BESS project was carried out by OCU Energy, a specialist in utility infrastructure.
Furthermore, Ferrybridge is SSE’s second BESS project to be commissioned, after the commissioning of the 50MW/100MWh Salisbury BESS in April 2024. In total, the company has 200 MW/400 MWh of operational BESS with a further 470 MW/940 MWh of BESS capacity under construction. This includes, as previously mentioned, the Monk Fryston project started construction in October 2024 and is expected to be powered this year, as well as the 150MW/300MWh Fiddler’s Ferry BESS in Cheshire. The batteries for the BESS project in Cheshire is provided by system integrator Fluence.
More recently, SSE has made a final investment decision to commence construction of a 100MW/200MWh BESS project in County TyroneNorthern Ireland.
