Huge 400MWh battery takes UK one step closer to 100 per cent renewables

Finnish technology group Wärtsilä says it is to build a “first of its kind” 200MW/400MWh battery energy storage system that will balance the output of offshore wind and take the UK closer to its target of 100 per cent renewables.

The huge battery, one of the biggest proposed in the UK, is being built for Scottish-based electric vehicle fleet and battery storage specialist Zenobē, which will operate the facility that is to be part of National Grid’s NOA Stability Pathfinder program.

Wärtsilä expects the project be operational by the Northern summer of 2024, and while it claims the battery will be the first in the world to deliver stability services from a transmission connection, it may have already been beaten to it by the Victoria Big Battery in Victoria and the Wallgrove battery in NSW.

Still, it is a significant step in the UK, where it will help manage supply and demand, power stability, and constraints. Its location in north-east Scotland means it can help integrate nearby offshore wind energy projects in the North Sea into the UK’s energy grid.

Wärtsilä expects the project be operational by the Northern summer of 2024.

“Wärtsilä is proud to deliver this pioneering energy storage project alongside Zenobē. This is a first-of-its-kind project that will help balance the UK grid as it targets 100% renewable energy generation,” said Andy Tang, vice president for energy storage & optimisation at Wärtsilä.

Wärtsilä, which is also building the 250MW, one hour big battery at Torrens Island in South Australia on behalf of AGL, says energy storage is playing a critical role in delivering a stable supply of electricity during the global transition to renewable energy.

“The battery at Blackhillock brings together the very latest in grid scale battery technology that will be crucial to lower consumer bills and enable more renewable energy onto the grid,” said Semih Oztreves, director of network infrastructure at Zenobē.

“With Wärtsilä and other project partners, we look forward to delivering this significant grid infrastructure project that will be an important milestone in the UK’s net zero transition.”