Work starts on 200MW Scottish battery project

• Developer Zenobē states scheme will certainly enhance uptake from Viking and Beatrice offshore wind farms

Zenobē has reached financial close as well as begun building on the very first 200MW of a 300MW battery site in Blackhillock, Scotland.

Situated between Aberdeen and also Inverness, the project, which Zenobē claims will certainly be the very first on the planet to deliver stability solutions utilizing a transmission-connected battery, represents an important milestone in the UK's internet zero shift.

It will substantially increase the uptake of sustainable power, consisting of from offshore wind farms at Viking and also Beatrice, on the country's electricity grid, it included.

When completely constructed, Blackhillock will certainly be a 300MW/600MWh project.

It will be the very first to provide the complete collection of active and responsive power solutions worldwide and will certainly be the largest transmission connected battery in Europe when appointed, Zenobē claimed.

Phase 1 of the project (200MW/400MW) results from go stay in summer 2024 with Phase 2 (an extra 100MW) due to go reside in H2 2026.

The site becomes part of Zenobē's recently introduced ₤ 750m investment in Scotland, taking the business's storage profile in the country to over 1GW.

The storage space facility at Blackhillock is gotten to provide stability solutions to National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO) to improve the dependability of the UK's increasingly renewable power system.

It will supply short-circuit level and inertia, essential for the grid to operate efficiently as fossil fuel plants eliminate, and also reduce network restrictions by importing electricity sometimes of peak eco-friendly generation.

The extra renewable resource resources and also boosted performance will increase energy self-reliance and lower consumer bills by over ₤ 170m over 15 years, according to the company.

The project is funded by a ₤ 235m lasting debt facility structured by NatWest with financing originates from Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Rabobank, Santander UK, Siemens Financial Services via Siemens Bank as well as NatWest.

Co-founder and supervisor of Zenobē James Basden stated: "Our battery at Blackhillock will utilize reducing side technology to supply essential services needed to reduced consumer bills and also bring even more renewable energy onto the grid.

" By partnering with experts at Wärtsilä, H&MV, SMA Solar Technology AG as well as GE Grid Solutions, we expect bringing this project to fulfillment as well as increasing the UK towards a zero-carbon power system."