Gas utility Centrica is looking to embrace lithium-ion technology by building a ‘flexible power plant’ at the site of a mothballed facility in the UK.
Lithium-ion energy storage system provider Younicos is working alongside Centrica at the facility at Roosecote, Barrow-in-Furness, which was originally a coal then a gas-fired facility.
Construction of the 49MW asset, which will provide grid frequency capabilities, is set to start next month.
The ESS is part of a £180million ($220million) investment programme by Centrica into new ‘flexible power’ plants across the country.
Mark Futyan, merchant power director of Centrica’s Distributed Energy & Power business said: “This is a great opportunity for the region to be at the forefront of a new era for the energy industry as we bring in the very best in terms of state-of-the-art battery technology to help ensure stability of supply for local homes and businesses.”
Work on site is expected to take around 20 months, entering operation in winter 2018.
The move is one of a number of side-way steps for fossil fuel utility companies, the most high-profile was arguably the buy-out of French battery firm SAFT by oil-firm Total last year.
