This edition of news in brief brings you BESS news from the UK market featuring Field, Eelpower and EDF, as reported by our colleagues at Solar Power Portal.
Field wins planning approval for 400MW project in Nottinghamshire
UK battery storage developer Field’s 400MW High Marnham battery energy storage system (BESS) in Nottinghamshire has secured what the developer described as “irrevocable planning consent” from Bassetlaw District Council.
Field had targeted April 2025 for submission of the planning application to Bassetlaw District Council. Construction of the High Marnham project is expected to begin in 2028 and take around two years to complete, subject to final approvals.
Once operational, the site will be managed using Gaia, Field’s proprietary in-house AI optimisation and market flexibility platform.
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The planning approval follows what Field described as a collaborative process involving its project team and external consultants across planning, engineering, communications, landscape and ecology.
Last month, Field’s 200MW/3,600MWh Rigifa BESS in Scotland secured planning approval. According to the firm, it is one of the largest projects selected for the UK’s forthcoming long-duration energy storage (LDES) cap-and-floor scheme.
By Shreeyashi Ojha.
To read the full version of this story, visit Solar Power Portal.
Eelpower Energy acquires 50MW/200MWh project in southern England
UK grid-scale battery storage platform Eelpower Energy has acquired the 50MW/200MWh Silkstead battery energy storage system (BESS) near Winchester from Balanced Grid Works.
The project is located south-east of the Winchester substation and is scheduled to begin construction in 2027, with commercial operations expected to commence in 2028.
The acquisition forms part of the company’s plans to invest £500 million (US$677.70 million) in battery energy storage systems across Great Britain. Silkstead is Eelpower’s fifth asset acquisition since the platform launched in September 2025.
For the Silkstead transaction, Eelpower was advised by Burges Salmon on legal matters, Everoze on technical due diligence, Roadnight Taylor on grid consultancy and Alvarez & Marsal on finance and tax.
Balanced Grid Works was advised by Foot Anstey on legal matters and Albert Goodman on finance and tax.
Eelpower, which is backed by Equitix, Aware Super and the National Wealth Fund, is targeting a portfolio of more than 1GW of grid-scale battery assets that it intends to build, own and operate.
The company is currently constructing 500MWh of storage capacity across four projects and plans to reach final investment decisions on a further 1.5GWh by the end of 2026.
By Shreeyashi Ojha.
To read the full version of this story, visit Solar Power Portal.
EDF to optimise two sites for Trinasolar
French utility EDF has signed a battery optimisation agreement with the Trinasolar International Solution Business Unit (ISBU), the solar and battery storage development arm of Trinasolar, to optimise two battery energy storage systems (BESS) in the UK.
The portfolio consists of the 40MW/80MWh Ruby BESS near Aberdeen, Scotland, and the 49.9MW/99.8MWh Chatterley project in Gloucester, England, which the ISBU is currently developing. The company expects the projects to reach commercial operation in October 2026 and March 2027, respectively, and EDF said that both projects would be able to support “local and national” grid requirements.
EDF will use its digital trading and optimisation platform Powershift to manage the assets, by storing electricity during low demand periods and releasing it when demand increases.
Such contracts are an important part of the commercialisation of BESS facilities, and EDF specifically has already signed deals to use its Powershift platform at a number of UK BESS projects, including Thorpe Marsh, which will be the UK’s largest BESS project, the 350MW/1,243MWh Hams Hall project and the 500MW/1,000MWh Eccles facility.
“As renewable generation and electrification continue to grow, flexible assets such as battery storage are becoming increasingly important to maintaining system stability,” EDF commercial director of business and wholesale services Stuart Fenner said.
By JP Casey.
To read the full version of this story, visit Solar Power Portal.
