UK battery storage and EV fleet company Zenobē said it closed the finance on the first 200MW/400MWh of a 300MW/600MWh lithium LFP battery site in Blackhillock, Scotland.
It said the project, located between Aberdeen and Inverness, will be “the first in the world” to deliver stability services using a transmission-connected battery.
The funding for the project is the largest project finance facility for battery storage ever to be arranged in Europe, the company said.
It is financed by a £235 million ($282 million) long-term debt facility structured by NatWest with funding from Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Rabobank, Santander UK, Siemens Financial Services through Siemens Bank and NatWest.
When fully built, Blackhillock will be a 300MW/600MWh project. It will be the first to provide the full suite of active and reactive power services in the world and will be the largest transmission connected battery in Europe when commissioned, it said.
Phase 1 of the project is due to go live in summer 2024 with Phase 2 due in H2 2026. The site is part of Zenobē’s recently announced £750 million investment in Scotland, taking the company’s storage portfolio in the country to over 1GW.
Zenobē also announced supplier details:
- SMA Solar Technology will provide the grid forming solution, battery inverters and medium voltage power stations
- Wärtsilä will supply the battery energy storage system
- H&MV will provide balance of plant works
- GE Grid Solutions will deliver two 180 MVA transformers.
