Renewable energy firm NatPower UK has agreed with Sembcorp Utilities, the Singapore-headquartered energy firm Sembcorp’s wholly owned subsidiary, to build a 1GW/8GWh lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) on a 32-acre site in Yorkshire, UK.
The BESS would be located at Wilton International in Redcar, forming part of the firm’s Teeside GigaPark. It will operate at 4GWh duration initially, with potential to double this to 8GWh later. The firm said it is the first in the UK to combine utility-scale grid storage with dedicated port electrification infrastructure.
The project has a 1GW connection agreement with the National Energy System Operator for a 400kV connection to National Grid’s substation. NatPower said it will build and operate the site and connect it to the grid by 2028.
The infrastructure is being designed from the outset to power ships at berth through cold ironing and recharge electric propulsion systems for future vessel types. This would decrease emissions while vessels are docked, at anchor, and for electric propulsion while operating near-shore.
The BESS will store surplus renewable electricity from offshore wind and other generators when production is high, then release it during periods of peak demand or low generation.
Stefano D.M. Sommadossi, CEO, NatPower UK and NatPower Marine, said: “Teesside, our most advanced GigaPark, located at Wilton International, will be the blueprint for how we combine high-capacity renewable energy storage with the electrification of ports and industry. Within five years, we can transform one of the UK’s most important industrial hubs into a net-zero economic powerhouse and then replicate this model in ports across the globe.”
Image: An artist’s impression of Teeside GigaPark BESS Project on Sembcorp Utilities’ Wilton International Site. Credit: NatPower.
