UK’s ‘largest battery’ commissioned by investor Hazel Capital

LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email
The 15MW Lockleaze project follows the completion of Hazel Capital’s Staunch project (pictured) earlier this year. Image: Hazel Capital.

What is claimed to be the UK’s largest stand-alone battery storage facility has been successfully commissioned by Hazel Capital as the investor continues to build its energy storage project portfolio.

The 15MW Lockleaze project in Bristol, in the West of England, received planning consent at the beginning of May before construction, grid connection and energisation followed in under 10 weeks.

The project marks the second to be completed as a result of Hazel Capital’s partnership with its affiliate, Noriker Power, after the commissioning of a 20MW hybrid battery/engine project in Newcastle-under-Lyme in March 2017, called Staunch.

Hazel Capital would not reveal who supplied the batteries for the project unlike Staunch, which the company told our UK site Solar Power Portal back in January was using 40 LG Chem batteries. Like Staunch, the project has also won a firm frequency response (FFR) contract through last month’s National Grid tender however Hazel declined to explain the rest of the project’s revenue stack.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Enjoy 12 months of exclusive analysis

Not ready to commit yet?
  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Annual digital subscription to the PV Tech Power journal
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Both Lockleaze and Staunch were developed by Aura Power and will provide frequency response services to National Grid as Hazel Capital looks to build its aggregation capabilities over the course of the year. By the end of 2017, the clean energy-focused investment manager is targeting 100MW of (export) capacity by the end of 2017.

Simon Coulson, director of Aura Power, said: “We are delighted that the Lockleaze project has been delivered to market in such a short period of time. This project is of particular importance to us, being located close to our head office in Bristol, and it received strong support from the local community. We look forward to delivering many more storage projects through our UK pipeline.”

The Lockleaze project is not likely to remain the largest standalone battery for long, with UK-headquartered energy and energy services provider Centrica confirming today in its H1 2017 results that construction on its 49MW Roosecote project is underway.

Read Next

August 29, 2025
The Australian government has opened two CIS tenders in Western Australia, targeting 2.4GWh of energy storage and 1.6GW of renewables.
Premium
August 27, 2025
We catch up with the CEO of BESS developer Harmony Energy about its strategy and plans going forward, following the sale of its affiliated Harmony Energy Income Trust (HEIT).
August 27, 2025
“Battery energy storage systems (BESS) typically change ownership between two and four times during their 40-year lifecycle,” John Sheehy, CEO of Pottinger, said on day two of the Battery Asset Management Summit Australia 2025 this morning.
August 26, 2025
After an initial rush to deploy that gave CAISO and ERCOT the lead in US BESS adoption, both markets are focused on capacity and availability, writes Amit Mathrani of Rabobank Americas.
August 26, 2025
BESS developer Pacific Green Technologies has secured a AU$77 million (US$49.9 million) debt facility for projects in Australia.

Most Popular

Email Newsletter