South Somerset District Council introduces 2nd BESS to improve 'distinct position'

• South Somerset District Council (SSDC) is to build a 2nd Battery Energy Storage Site (BESS), announcing a 40MW facility that will be located near Fareham in Hampshire.

The Council lately ended up the development of the 30MW Fideoak Mill BESS website in Taunton, the UK's largest council-owned battery storage space website.

SSDC's joint venture energy company SSDC Opium Power will certainly handle the development of the brand-new website, which will have the ability to give instantaneously offered electric power on demand to the grid. Comparable to the Taunton site, Kiwi Power will certainly be the aggregator for the finished BESS and also BSR EPC is the project present link specialist.

John Clark, SSDC's profile holder for economic situation and income generation, stated that now they had effectively finished the Taunton BESS project, they remained in a "distinct position" to tackle a comparable project with "experience as well as confidence".

" The Fareham project supplies a suitable follow-up," he proceeded. "With the threat reduced from our experience, we can be really certain that the new project will create a great go back to aid keep vital solutions."

The website currently has an approved grid connection, which will certainly feed into SSE's distribution network, and also is close to a connection factor, according to SSDC. Additionally, it came with all the essential authorizations and is consequently ready to create immediately.

SSDC leader Val Keitch claimed this 2nd project will assist the environment as well as provide industrial earnings.

" Our group has actually functioned incredibly difficult to increase development of our very first website near Taunton as well as to secure this amazing 2nd development and also financial investment; all throughout the added challenges of COVID-19. It will not just assist the broader setting, but additionally give indispensable earnings to aid secure and also reinforce important solutions for our neighborhoods in south Somerset."

The investment in the project is being carried out with the authorized administration of the Council's business method, as well as assures a minimal return after SSDC's money car loan is paid off with rate of interest of 7.5%. The Council claims it expects an Internal Rate of Return of c14%.

SSDC is intending to have the site up and running by 2022, helping to improve its sustainability plans, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the demand to 'construct back much better'.