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The first battery in the world to provide stability services to a transmission system operator and the largest battery in Europe has started operations. United Kingdom-based Zenobe has announced that its battery site, in Blackhillock, Scotland, Europe’s largest, consists of two phases. Phase 1 is now operational, with 200 MW. It will be followed by a further 100 MW in 2026, making a total of 300 MW / 600 MWh. The total capacity of the site is the equivalent of powering more than 3.1 million homes, substantially more than all the households in Scotland, for one hour, according to the company, one of the leading owners and operators of grid-scale batteries on Great Britain’s transmission network. The facility is expected to save consumers GBP 172 million over the next 15 years,it stressed. It added that the battery energy storage system (BESS) would prevent approximately 2.6 million tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere in the period, by integrating more wind power into the transmission network. The savings estimate is attributed to stability services including inertia, short circuit level, balancing services, constraint management. Zenobe said the Blackhillock site would be the first in the world to provide stability services to a transmission system operator (TSO), the National Energy System Operator (NESO), making renewable power more secure and reliable. NESO is the UK’s transmission system operator for electricity and natural gas. The GBP 172 million amount is made of GBP 8 million from the Stability Pathfinder contract and savings of GBP 164 million from providing balancing services and constraint management to the grid and helping reduce price volatility, the company said. The Stability Pathfinder is NESO’s program for the procurement of stability services The GBP 8 million of savings from the Stability Pathfinder assumes that the contract secured for the Blackhillock project will avoid the use of combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGTs) to provide inertia and short circuit level (SCL), according to the company. The Stability Pathfinder is NESO’s program for the procurement of stability services. The company explained that the GBP 164 million of savings from balancing services and constraint management assumes, with degradation over the lifetime considered, two battery cycles a day, and provides a reasonable level of savings to the control room when compared to the alternative actions that would otherwise have been taken. For example, curtailing wind generation during periods of network constraint or more competitively priced offer actions than gas peakers or CCGTS. Blackhillock will ensure that excess power can be stored and used during times of increased demand. The BESS is deliberately located between Inverness and Aberdeen to address grid congestion from offshore wind farms Viking (443 MW), Moray East (950 MW) and Beatrice (588 MW). “Battery storage plays a critical role in the UK’s net zero transition with over 22 GW required as a minimum in the Government’s Clean Power 2030 Plan. As Britain increases its reliance on renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, batteries like Blackhillock will ensure that excess power can be stored and then used during times of increased demand,” Zenobe stressed. To support the construction of phase one of Blackhillock, 200 MW / 400 MWh, Zenobe secured GBP 101 million via a long-term debt facility from a club of five banks. EDF Wholesale Market Services will be the route-to-market provider for the site, through its trading platform, Powershift. Wärtsilä is supplying its Quantum energy storage system technology and GEMS Digital Energy Platform with SMA grid-forming inverters. Slye: Battery storage is critical to the future reliability and affordability of the UK grid Zenobe Founder Director James Basden said the BESS adds over 30% to the capacity of operational battery storage in Scotland. “This project has additional importance, with the Blackhillock site being the first transmission-connected battery in the world to deliver stability services alongside several other crucial services. As the UK steps up the pace on a transition to renewable power, these services are vital if we are to ensure the reliability and affordability of our grid moving forwards,” he noted. According to Fintan Slye, NESO CEO, the 2025 ambition to enable zero carbon operation of Great Britain’s national electricity network is central to the company’s mission. Battery storage is critical to the future reliability and affordability of the UK grid and pairing it with this grid forming technology can unlock even greater resilience for a net zero network, he added. |
