Field acquires 200MW/800MWh BESS from Clearstone

Battery energy storage system (BESS) developer Field has announced that it has acquired the Hartmoor BESS from Clearstone Energy. The 200MW/800MWh project, set to be located on the outskirts of Hartlepool in the north east of England, was granted planning consent in 2023.

Following the securing of planning permission, Clearstone Energy worked with the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to bring the grid connection date for the project forward from 2033 to 2026, as part of NESO’s efforts to make the grid connection queue more efficient. The need for energy storage assets in the north-east of England will become more pressing as the Dogger Bank wind farm project is connected to the grid between 2025 and 2028.

First co-located solar and storage facility to connect to transmission network in UK online

Developer and independent power producer (IPP) Cero Generation has connected its Larks Green solar and storage facility to the UK transmission network.

The 70MWp solar PV part of the project was completed in April 2023, becoming the first standalone solar PV plant to connect to the transmission network. Energisation of the 49.5MW/99MWh BESS co-located with the solar development makes the facility the first of its kind to be transmission connected in the UK.

The project has a 120MW grid connection, which, as commercial manager Patrick O’Connor told Energy-Storage.news during an interview in June (Premium access), means “the BESS is not competing with the solar for export capacity”.

Fidra Energy and Sungrow sign strategic agreement for BESS growth

BESS developer Fidra Energy has joined forces with energy storage system provider Sungrow to support the growth of Fidra’s BESS portfolio.

Sungrow will supply two Fidra Energy projects in the UK with its liquid-cooled Power-Titan 2.0 BESS units and provide long-term maintenance services for both sites.

The first site expected to have the PowerTian 2.0 systems installed is the Thorpe Marsh project in South Yorkshire. Once completed, the site will house a 1.4GW BESS with a 2-hour duration, although Sungrow notes that expansion to a 4-hour system at a later date is possible.

Construction is set to begin in 2025, and once connected, the Thorpe Marsh BESS will be one of the largest BESS projects in the UK and Europe.

Low Carbon unveils 500MW solar NSIP plans

Renewable energy developer Low Carbon has announced plans for a 500MW solar and energy storage project in Kent.

The company revealed last week that it is in the early stages of development on the project proposals for the South Kent Energy Park, and has begun the first phase of community outreach.

Early engagement with the local community near the village of Old Romney will run from 12 November to 20 December 2024, with local people invited to share their feedback online and at in-person events over this period.

Owing to its size, the 500MW project is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). This means that the application for development consent must be sent to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS), before being approved by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). Low Carbon states they anticipate submitting their application in late 2026; if consent is granted, the company expects to begin construction in 2029.

The project will combine 500MW of solar generation capacity with a BESS, although this capacity has not been revealed.

Green Nation developing 750MW solar and storage NSIP for 2029 connection

Solar developer Green Nation has announced plans to develop a solar and energy storage NSIP project in south Yorkshire.

The Whitestone Solar Farm, set to be located between Rotherham and Doncaster, is currently in the early stages of development, with the first public consultation opening on 18 November and set to run until 17 January 2025. A representative for the project confirmed to Solar Power Portal that the final development could supply up to 750MW to the National Grid, while additionally featuring a BESS of an unconfirmed capacity.

Green Nation is aiming to submit its application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to the UK government in spring 2026, following two rounds of public consultations. If this timeline is met, a decision from the Secretary of State for Energy, Ed Miliband, is expected in the summer of 2027. If the project is approved, construction will likely begin later in 2027, with a grid connection date forecast for 2029.

West Sussex County Council issues public tender for 16MW BESS

West Sussex County Council has issued an invitation to tender (ITT) for a 16MW/32MWh 2-hour duration BESS.

The ITT is seeking both private and public sector organisations to deliver pre-construction services agreement (PCSA) services for the Halewick Lane BESS phase three project.

The proposed BESS will be built on the site of the previously derelict North Sompting Waste Management Site, near Worthing. The PCSA contract will entail “designing, assessing risks, planning and completing all necessary tender information to offer a fixed price for procuring and constructing” the project, West Sussex Council Council said, as part of a two-stage design and build contract.

On its current timeline, the project is expected to begin construction in July 2025 and be commissioned in the first quarter of 2027. It will represent around £23.6 million in capital expenditure.

Additional updates from Ireland

ESB puts 150MW/300MWh Irish BESS into operation

Not in the UK, but in neighbouring Ireland, state-owned electricity company ESB has opened a 150MW/300MWh BESS at its Aghada site in County Cork.

The project is the latest step in ESB’s commitment to investing €300 million (£251 million) in battery storage technology. Its first BESS site launched in 2022, a 19MW/38MWh project also located in Aghada.

ESB chief executive Paddy Hayes called the launch of the company’s “largest battery storage project so far” a “significant milestone”. It replaces the 75MW/150MWh BESS at Poolbeg in Dublin as the biggest of ESB’s projects.

ESB, of which around 95% is owned by the Irish state and has the remaining stake held by its employees, partnered with Fluence – a global provider of energy storage products, services and software – and Irish company Powercomm Group to deliver the project.

ESB and Fluence have partnered for much of the former’s portfolio and Powercomm Group has also previously provided engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for ESB.

SSE Renewables acquires 120MW/240MWh Irish BESS

SSE Renewables has taken ownership of a 120MW/240MWh BESS project under development in Ireland’s Midlands.

SSE Renewables acquired the project development rights for the Thornsberry BESS, a consented project due to be located in County Offaly, from Grid Systems Services, a BESS developer owned by Low Carbon. The firm did not reveal the cost of the acquisition.

A grid connection offer allowing the completed BESS to import and export 120MW to Ireland’s national grid via a local 110kV substation has already been agreed for the project. Subject to a final investment decision by SSE Renewables, the project could be operational by the end of the decade.

Full article links:

Field acquires 200MW/800MWh BESS from Clearstone

UK’s first co-located solar and storage facility to connect to transmission network online

Fidra Energy and Sungrow sign strategic agreement for BESS growth

Green Nation developing 750MW solar and storage NSIP for 2029 connection

Low Carbon unveils 500MW solar NSIP plans

West Sussex County Council issues public tender for 16MW BESS

ESB puts 150MW/300MWh Irish BESS into operation

SSE Renewables acquires 120MW/240MWh Irish BESS