SSE Renewables launches 150MW battery storage project

The flexible energy storage facility, set to be completed by the end of 2024, will be capable of providing the grid with a total 300MWh of flexible capacity as it can operate for two hours at a time.

SSE Renewables’ solar and battery director Richard Cave-Bigley said: “We’re breaking new ground with our first battery at an existing SSE site.

“Ferrybridge used to be a coal site; but today we’ve evolved to building a 150MW flexible battery asset that can store the energy we need to help get to net-zero.”

Sungrow, a supplier of inverters and energy storage systems, will supply its liquid-cooled energy storage system, PowerTitan, to the storage facility. This will enhance grid support and elevate power quality.

Sungrow Europe’s president Lewis Li said: “We are excited for what is to come with our partnership with SSE Renewables as we work towards maximising the profitability for the project with cutting-edge products and services.”

Ferrybridge used to power the UK with its coal-fired plant until SSE decommissioned it in 2016.

Among SSE Renewables’ projects, Ferrybridge is the second battery storage project being built.

A 50MW BESS site in Salisbury will be operational by the end of 2023. Planning consent has also been granted for battery storage projects at Fiddler’s Ferry (150MW) and Monk Fryston (320MW).

SSE Renewables is progressing a secured pipeline of solar and battery projects totalling 1.2 gigawatts (GW) across the UK and Ireland. An additional 1.3GW of potential sites are under development to support SSE’s existing portfolio of low carbon infrastructure, including its wind and hydro projects.

SSE has set potential investment plans of up to £40bn in low carbon technologies by 2031/32. This commitment aligns with its fully funded £18bn investment strategy for the next five years, up to 2027, expected to create around 1,000 new green job opportunities annually.

UK’s energy storage pipeline

The Government’s assessment suggests that battery storage systems, which facilitate the integration of additional low-carbon power, heating, and transportation technologies, have the potential to deliver savings of up to £40bn for the UK energy system by 2050.

According to a RenewableUK report, the operational energy storage capacity in the UK witnessed an annual growth of 45% in 2022. The report also indicated that the UK must accommodate 30GW of flexible energy capacity by the close of this decade to meet its net-zero goals.