Plans for a 360MW lithium-ion energy storage system are underway in the UK by energy generation and battery storage firm Sembcorp Energy UK (SEUK).
The system will be built at Wilton International on Teesside, with Sembcorp planning to build out the first phase of the project by 2023, with the rest of the project to follow in stages.
Once completed, the full 360MW of storage capacity will be on one site, where Sembcorp has available land and connections ready to install the batteries.
A competitive tender is being conducted to decide who will supply the energy storage system (ESS).
Grid connection approval is under way and, if successful ,the ESS will operate on the wholesale markets delivering balancing services (firm frequency response, fast reserve, dynamic containment) plus new products that power utility National Grid is developing (dynamic moderation and dynamic regulation) and aim to launch next March.
SEUK operates 70MW of batteries, with a further 50MW due to be operational in early 2022.
Andy Koss, CEO of UK & Middle East, Sembcorp Industries, said: “Now, more than ever, flexible energy sources play an increasingly important role in maintaining secure and reliable energy supplies.
“With a growing reliance on renewables, the UK energy system needs to be flexible and able to respond quickly to changes. Sembcorp Energy UK is committed to accelerating the energy transition with sustainable solutions, such as batteries.”
In comparison, the biggest lithium-ion ESS of its kind in the world was completed by generation firm Vistra in Monterey County, US in August.
The 100MW expansion of the Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility brings the facility’s total capacity to 400MW/1.6GWh.
Building out UK’s power supply
In September, BEST reported the UK’s largest lithium-ion energy storage system using a Tesla Megapack was being built at Clay Tye in Essex.
The 99MW/198MWh ESS will be delivered through a partnership between Spain’s Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV)— part of Saudi Arabia’s Abdul Latif Jameel group— and the UK’s Harmony Energy.
The Clay Tye ESS beats two other projects in the UK, which are: the 150MW/150MWh Minety battery in south-west England, and a 100MW/100MWh project in Chester, which is due to be commissioned in Q1 2022.
In July 2020, the UK government introduced a secondary legislation to remove barriers for storage projects above 50MW in England and 350MW in Wales.
Removing barriers for energy storage projects were aimed at encouraging bolder investment decisions in larger battery facilities.
