The UK arm of EDF Renewables yesterday (20 August) announced that it will bring over 300MW of battery energy storage system (BESS) projects online over the next 12 months in the country.
Six projects are currently in construction and scheduled for completion in the next year, with a total capacity of 313MW. Projects include a 57MW project in Braintree, Essex, in Southeast England, a 47.5MW project in Indian Queens St Austell in the West of England, and a 52MW battery in Sundon, Bedfordshire in the East that was energised in mid-July.
Last week, planning permission was granted for a 47.5MW project near Mannington, Dorset, near England’s South coast.
EDF Renewables, the clean energy subsidiary of French state-owned energy company EDF, already manages a portfolio of 150MW of BESS projects in operation across the UK. The company states that it plans to deliver up to 2GW of transmission-connected BESS projects in the coming years, with 400MW of capacity already consented.
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Simone Sullivan, head of storage at EDF Renewables UK said: “Our upcoming project pipeline will strengthen the UK’s capacity to integrate more renewables and will allow the grid to be more flexible and resilient by managing electricity supply and demand.
Battery storage is critical to enhancing our energy security and to achieving the new government’s 2030 targets. We have a strong momentum behind our projects, helping the UK to reap the benefits of cost-effective, clean renewable energy and a modern, flexible grid.”
According to the UK’s electricity system operator, National Grid ESO, between 20-30GW of additional BESS capacity is required to meet 2050 net zero goals outlined in ESO’s Future Energy Scenarios.
Recent analysis from Solar Media Market Research indicated installed BESS capacity in the UK will rise to 7.4GW/11.6GWh by the end of 2024, a substantial increase from the current operational capacity of 4.6GW/5.9GWh.
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