Local authority in England plans its second grid-scale battery storage system

LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email
South Somerset District Council’s recently expanded 30MW battery storage site, the largest battery project to be owned by a local council authority in the UK. Image: Kiwi Power.

South Somerset District Council (SSDC), a local government authority in the UK, is to build its second grid-scale battery storage project, announcing a 40MW facility that will be located near Fareham in Hampshire, southern England.

The Council recently finished the expansion of the 30MW Fideoak Mill battery energy storage system (BESS) site, the UK’s largest council-owned battery storage site.

SSDC’s joint venture energy company SSDC Opium Power will manage the development of the new site, which will be able to provide instantly available electrical power on demand to the grid. Similar to Fideoak Mill, distributed energy technology company Kiwi Power will be the aggregator for the finished BESS and BSR EPC is the project roll out connection contractor.

To read the full version of this story, visit Solar Power Portal.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Read more about the operation of the council’s 30MW first battery project: CASE STUDY: Co-optimising a municipally owned battery storage site in Britain, from Thomas Jennings, Head of Optimisation at energy tech company Kiwi Power.

13 October 2026
London, UK
Now in its second edition, the Summit provides a dedicated platform for UK & Ireland’s BESS community to share practical insights on performance, degradation, safety, market design and optimisation strategies. As storage deployment accelerates towards 2030 targets, attendees gain the tools needed to enhance returns and operate resilient, efficient assets.

Read Next

October 6, 2026
Australia’s 59 grid-scale BESS earned a combined AU$88.91 million in estimated gross energy and FCAS market revenue in the NEM.
October 2, 2026
Elliot Squire, senior asset manager for Varco Energy, discusses current and future trends in battery storage.
September 23, 2026
UK energy industry regulator Ofgem said it is minded to approve the introduction of a financial commitment for BESS in an attempt to reduce the oversupply of the projects awaiting a grid connection.
Premium
September 16, 2026
Energy-Storage.news Premium speaks with David Miller, CCO of optimiser Gridmatic, at the 2026 US Battery Asset Management Summit in Garden Grove, California.
Premium
September 15, 2026
A regulatory change is opening Germany’s energy markets to 23GWh of home batteries. The co-CEO of VPP platform Flexa discusses what it could mean for the market.