The first batteries have arrived at SSE Renewables’ battery storage project in Ferrybridge, West Yorkshire, where installation will continue until late June. A total of 136 units will be installed at the site, which will be SSE’s second operational battery storage facility.
The project, located at the company’s former Ferrybridge coal-fired power station, is being developed in conjunction with battery technology supplier Sungrow Power Supply and construction partner OCU Services and will harness Sungrow’s liquid cooled energy storage system dubbed ‘PowerTitan’.
At 150MW/300MWh, the Ferrybridge site will be three times the size of SSE’s flagship battery storage site in Salisbury, which was made operational on 15 April.
Construction at Ferrybridge began in August 2023 and is set for completion later this year. SSE is also working on a 320MW battery project in Monk Fryston, North Yorkshire, which is expected to be completed in up to two years’ time.
Ferrybridge BESS project manager Craig Jackson said: “It’s great to have the first battery units arriving at the site as we continue to move through the construction phase of the project. In the coming weeks, we’ll be working with our construction partners OCU Energy and local contractors to complete the installation of all battery units and a 132kv transformer at the Ferrybridge site.”
Richard Cave-Bigley, director of development & construction – solar & battery, SSE Renewables, added: “We’re excited to have reached another significant milestone on our Ferrybridge battery storage project with the arrival of the first batteries on-site.
“Ferrybridge will once again be a key location for the UK energy system, providing the flexible electricity storage the country needs to fully utilise its growing renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power.”
Achieving net zero necessitates renewable energy generation, like solar and wind, that can often be intermittent and variable. As such, battery storage plays a key role in the transition to green energy because of its ability to hold and release energy as needed.
Effective use of battery storage also provides costs savings and benefits. Co-location – the process of developing multiple generation projects or combining different technology types at the same grid connection point, as defined by National Grid – with battery storage further reduces costs and boosts energy security.
At the recent Renewable Energy Revenues Summit in London, Francisco del Rio de Pablo, who works for NTR, said that the UK is currently the most advanced market for battery co-location in Europe.
