Zenobē, a UK headquartered EV fleet and grid-scale battery storage specialist, has announced that its battery site in Blackhillock, Scotland, has begun commercial operations. Phase 1 comprises of 200MW, which will be followed by another 100MW in 2026. The total capacity of 300MW/600MWh makes Blackhillock Europe’s largest battery site.
The mission of the battery site is to address grid congestion from the offshore wind farms Viking (443MW), Moray East (950MW) and Beatrice (588MW). In addition to being Europe’s largest battery, the Blackhillock site will be the first in the world to provide Stability Services to the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to make renewable power more secure and reliable. The site is expected to save consumers over £170 million over the next 15 years. It will also reduce approximately 2.6 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
Wärtsilä, the Finnish global energy technology company, is supplying its Quantum energy storage system technology. The GEMS Digital Energy Platform with SMA grid forming inverters enable a resilient power system. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) delivered the grid connection required to harness the renewable energy on its transmission network.
Zenobē Founder Director James Basden commented: “Today marks a critical juncture in Britain’s clean power journey as Zenobē adds over 30% to the capacity of operational battery storage in Scotland.”
UK Energy Minister Michael Shanks said: “Battery sites are helping store our clean, surplus energy to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.”
Fintan Slye, CEO of NESO, said: “Our 2025 ambition to enable zero carbon operation of Great Britain’s national electricity network is central to NESO’s mission. Battery storage is critical to the future reliability and affordability of the UK grid. This grid forming technology can unlock even greater resilience for a net-zero network.”
